Minerva Precisions
by CapeZero
Summary: AU: The team is investigating the murder at a DoD contractor with the possibility of naval intelligence being compromised. During the investigation the team comes in contact with a certain shaggy lawyer, who might end up in more trouble than anticipated. Rated T to be safe for future chapters.
1. Compromised

**Minerva Precisions**

 **Summary - _The team is investigating tat murder at a DoD contractor with the possibility of naval intelligence being compromised. During the invenstigation the team comes in contact with a certain shaggy lawyer, who might end up in more trouble than anticipated._**

 **Disclaimer _\- I own nothing, NCIS is not mine, I am merely borrowing the characters._**

 ** _A/N - This is my first ever fanfiction so any and all feedback in highly appreciated, thank you!_**

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 **Chapter 1: Compromised**

Callen walked into the bullpen only to find that neither of his coworkers were at their usual desks. That is when he noticed the tiny woman walking towards him, he smiled at the figure, how could one be so small in stature but so large in character, he wondered. His boss Henrietta Lange, or Hetty as she preferred to go by, was an enigma to all around her. Ever knowing and all hearing. Probably one of only a handful of people where the reality of their life story is even more outlandish than any imaginative author could write or any silly action movie depict.

"I already sent the others upstairs," she said, gesticulating towards the stairs leading to the second floor in the Spanish Mission.

"Good morning, Hetty," the seasoned agent replied.

"Well, that's a matter of perspective, Mr. Callen", was the response he received before heading towards OPS and the rest of his team.

He wanted to get right into the case, if it was so important, that Hetty had already sent his coworkers into OPS before he had even arrived there were surely no time to waste.

"What have we got, Eric?" He asked entering through the automatic doors leading to the secure briefing room. Acknowledging his team with a nod as he stood next to his partner.

"Jonathan Hanson, 42, found dead half an hour ago at Minerva Precisions. No known family, he lived alone." Eric quickly summarized. He took a deep breath before he continued, "It looks like he was pushed down a flight of stairs leading to the parking garage. No cameras in the staircase, the security team at his work have closed off the area and are waiting for us to arrive on the scene. They have also made sure that no one left the premises after the discovery of the body, and are trying to contact the few employees who had already left earlier today to get them to return."

"If Hanson isn't Navy then why aren't the LAPD handling the case?" Kensi asked, wondering what possible connection there might be to include NCIS.

Just as she had asked, the doors to OPS swung open and in came Hetty. Impeccable timing as always. "Because of the classified nature of some of the products that Minerva Precisions work on for the DoD and the Navy," she clarified, nodding towards the intelligence analyst to continue the briefing.

"Right," Nell quickly cleared her throat and continued the briefing, "Minerva Precisions is a defense contractor specializing in both hardware and software for the Department of Defense. As a hardware focus, they are currently developing both telescopic and holographic weapon sights, for the Army and Navy, capable of switching between night vision and regular usage. The other department focuses on missile tracking software that the Navy utilizes on their cruisers." She ended, almost out of breath from giving the information as quickly as possible, barely stopping for a breath in between sentences.

"Seeing as how Mr. Hanson worked with the missile tracking software, Director Vance wants to ensure that Mr. Hanson's passing has not compromised any classified information he would have been prone to knowing." Hetty quickly finished the briefing, opening her hand towards agent Callen, a sign for him to take the reins.

He looked towards the other senior agent, "Sam why don't you go check out Hanson's apartment? Look for any signs that he might have been selling classified naval information."

"You got it, G!" He said nodding.

"Eric and Nell, get me any information on known associates of Hanson, any possible enemies, money he shouldn't have, his colleagues, everything you can find."

"Already on it!" The duo chirped together.

"Kensi, you and I go to the crime scene, see what we might be able to find." Before quickly adding, "Eric can you-"

"Already sent the addresses to your phones!" The technical operator said with a huge smile. It always made him feel great when he knew what the trained agents wanting him to do before they could ask him for it.

The agents made way for their vehicles, eager to solve a case after an otherwise boring week filled with nothing but paperwork.

...

The team had split up, Sam taking his Challenger to Hanson's apartment, whilst Kensi and Callen took the senior agents' Aston Martin to the scene of the murder.

The two were waved through security after showing their badges, parked the car and was led to the entrance of the building by one of the many security guards that the facility had. The head of security was already standing awaiting the arrival of the NCIS agents, he greeted them, and let them through the building to the staircase.

Kensi, being the forensics specialist, started to examine the crime scene, whilst Callen talked to the head of security to get the details about the facility's security protocols as well as any information on the victim that might not be available from OPS, such as a change in behavior. The head of security informed him that three of the employees had left before the murder had been discovered, but was assured they had been called and would be making their way back to the facility within the minute.

Kensi noticed a lanyard with the company ID around the neck on the victim. "Hey Callen!" She called, and when he crouched down next to her she continued, "Look at this," she grabbed the small keychain connected to the lanyard, "It looks like there is something missing from this casing, shaped like a small flash drive."

Callen drew out a long sigh, "Good job, Kensi." This meant that Director Vance was probably right in his worries that secret navy technology was possibly compromised, and he would be the one having to inform Hetty of the fact. A call he did not look forward to making.

He quickly mad the call, thinking it was better to get it done and over with. After informing his boss of status quo, he made a second call to OPS asking Nell and Eric to look into all employees at the company, specifically starting with the three employees who had previously left the facility, since they potentially could have brought the USB drive with them and thereby away from the secure facility.

After getting some basic information on the three premises leaving employees thanks to Eric and Nell, they were still waiting for Sam to return to them from Hanson's apartment, as such, they decided to start 'interviewing' the employees, opting to start with the ones they have information on already.

Callen and Kensi set up for interrogation in a small bright room, curtesy of Minerva Precisions' head of security. The first two interrogations lead to nothing.

The first, a woman who worked the front desk who had gone to pick up her sick child, who was now currently with the father, confirmed by OPS. The second was an elderly woman, working part time as a cleaning lady, signs of an early onset of mild cognitive impairment making it highly unlikely, if not impossible, for her to be the perpetrator.  
Both of their background checks came back clean, making Callen and Kensi dismiss them as having anything to do with neither murder nor stealing navy secrets.

The third employee who had left the company earlier that day, was led into the room by a security guard. As he entered, Kensi was busy writing down a few notes on a sheet of paper in front of her. When she finally looked up after the man had sat down, she saw a young man with shaggy blonde hair and scruffy face, he was wearing a charcoal suit with a slightly loosened black tie.

"So, what can I do for you agents today?" The man asked, with what Kensi could only describe as a captivating smile.


	2. Interrogation

**Chapter 2: Interrogation**

Callen looked at his fellow agent who seemed oddly hypnotized by the man sitting across from them. He cleared his throat, which seemed to get Kensi out of whatever trance she was in. She looked over at her team leader, nodding slightly, letting him know that she was ready for him to begin the interrogation of the third employee so far.

Callen started the interrogation "Martin Deeks, thirty-three. Why did you-"

" _Marty_ Deeks, I prefer Marty, or just Deeks. Sorry, please do continue." The man interrupted. To his credit, he did look slightly apologetic about cutting off Callen's sentence. He seemed almost compelled to correct the use of his name, as if merely uttering the name Martin was hurtful to him, Kensi thought.

"Okay. _Marty_ Deeks. Why did you leave your work earlier today?" Callen started once more.

"I needed a break and some food. Arrived quite early today to go over some things for an upcoming product. Didn't want to lose my train of thought by getting breakfast before having it down in writing" The blonde man answered somewhat cryptically as though he did not want to disclose exactly what he had been working on.

"Wait, you are a lawyer, right?" Kensi asked wanting to make sure, she remembered the little information they had gotten prior to the interrogation correct. The shaggy appearance of the employee in the room much more of equal resemblance to a laid-back surfer type than the one of a lawyer for a successful Department of Defense contractor.

"Yes! IP lawyer actually," He responded cheerily, then slightly tilting his head looking at Kensi and smirking slightly he continued, "Despite this golden mane I really am a lawyer."

"Where did you go to get a break and some food?" Callen continued the questioning, using the same words as the scruffy lawyer previously had.

"I got this amazing breakfast burrito from a Mexican food truck in Venice. Diego's Deli Truck, if I recall correctly." He quickly responded, barely taking a second to think about his reply.

"And you go there often?" Callen asked, trying to find any possible inconsistency in his story for the team in OPS to unravel.

"The beach, sure. I think clearer there. Working with intellectual property you often have to get a little creative in your thinking, and I have an easier time doing that after clearing my head." He replied, smiling slightly. Just the thought of the beach seemingly brightened his day. "The food truck is mostly a different one every time, you know, trying something new, keeping it fresh and interesting."

Callen and Kensi continued the interrogation of the lawyer, aligning the questioning more towards the subject of Jonathan Hanson but without mentioning the missing flash drive, no need to let him in on the fact that the team had noticed that, if he indeed did have something to do with it. The team leader was mostly asking the questions whilst Kensi closely studied Marty Deeks' face for any possible micro expressions not aligning with what the scruffy interrogate said, only adding a few follow up questions sporadically. After about another fifteen minutes they wrapped up the questioning.

Marty Deeks stood up and made to shake the agents' hands. Leaving his business card to Kensi afterwards telling her that _she_ could call if they needed anything else. He finished that sentence with a not so subtle wink, which made Kensi huff lightly at him unable to keep a small smile from appearing though. Internally she was fighting the slight blush she could feel rising. Because Kensi Blye does not blush, certainly not at suspects in a murder and potential treason investigation.

The interrogation of Marty Deeks did not necessarily lead the agents to believe he was part of it, but given the lack of alibi and his friendship with the diseased, he would have had the means to plan something like this with Hanson, and therefor they could not yet rule him out as a suspect in the case.

The two agents went to the break room to get some coffee, because not unlike law enforcement officers agents too seemed to mainline caffeine. Deciding that they should not continue by interviewing random employees as it would take weeks maybe even months to get through everybody. All they could do now was wait for Sam to return from the victims' apartment, hopefully with any leads, and any suspects that Eric and Nell might be able to uncover through whatever type of electronic magic they were performing in the operations room.

...

Sam entered the break room at Minerva Precisions to find his two fellow agents sitting at a small table off to one of the sides, quietly discussion something he could only assume was the case, given the low volume of the conversation. He walked over and grabbed a chilled water bottle out of the refrigerator before joining his coworkers at the table.

"Hope you've had more luck than me!" The big agent said somewhat sourly, "Roughly twenty-five thousand, non-sequential bills, stashed in a hidden compartment in Hanson's closet. Got the crime scene folks over there to continue the search, they will let us know if they find anything else. But I doubt it."

"There was a flash drive missing from Hanson's lanyard. Whoever he was working with probably has the information already." Kensi replied, confirming the suspicion that Sam had from his finding in the apartment. The team went over the case updating Sam on the interrogations they had already been conducted. In agreement that the flash drive and by that logic, the perpetrator, must still be within the walls of the facility, seeing as only three employees had left before the arrival of the NCIS team.

Eric and Nell had been in contact with their team leader confirming everything that their best suspect, Marty Deeks, had already told them during the investigation, right down to confirming that he, in fact, did use a different food truck every time he went to Venice for a think and a break. Good news for the potential suspect, bad news for the team as that placed them back at square one. No good suspects, no good leads.

The team split up at the facility, deciding that dividing and conquering would be the best approach. Kensi went to the desk of Hanson, while Sam and Callen continued interrogations in a room each of the closest coworkers to Hanson. The team was running out of potential leads and ideas quickly, until a techie from Hanson's team said something that _clicked_ inside Sam. "Hanson was always happy, unlike a lot of the older ones, always so bloody displeased and unsatisfied with their positions, thinking us younger generation haven't worked as hard for our success, compared to them." The techie huffed in his posh English accent.

The large agent didn't know exactly what it was that made that sentence seem so important to the case, but he quickly called into OPS, having them look into any employees who had gone through hardships that may have led to distress or perhaps an increased need for money. Thinking he might be on the right track, hoping that the potential sale of classified information was because of money, plain and simple, instead of being unpatriotic sat well with Sam, being an ex-SEAL he was as patriotic as could be, and anything that threatened troops and the constitution was the worst possible thing in his book.

Half an hour later, the three agents reconvened in the break room once more, in need to satisfy their caffeine need and to discuss the case. They had the room to themselves, so discussing the case was safe, but Callen still turned the radio up to a decent noise level to discourage any potential eavesdropping. Just as he sat back down Sam's phone started to ring, OPS calling.

"Hey Eric, you're on speaker with Callen and Kensi. What do you got?"

"So, I looked into people whose situations matched what you told me, and I found one matching almost all the pointers. Alfred Mitchell, fifty-eight, he is a lawyer for the company. Has worked there for the past fifteen years, we're working on getting into his phone records to see if he has had any contact with Hanson." Eric briefed the team.

"Recently went through a long divorce losing custody of his kids, as well as a great chunk of his net worth whilst being forced to pay quite a lot of alimony, even for a lawyer." Nell continued, picking up where Eric had left off.

"That definitely fits with the motive for needing some money," Kensi concluded.

"I seems that it would be wise to have a little chat with Mr. Mitchell." The voice of their operations manager sounded through the phone, she had obviously entered OPS some time during the short briefing. She always seemed to know when the team were making progress in any case.

"We'll keep you posted!" Callen replied as Sam ended the call, and the three agents went to find the unsuspecting lawyer for, as Hetty put it, a little chat.


	3. Threats

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews! Hopefully this chapter will continue to create some of the suspension regarding Deeks.**

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 **Chapter 3: Threats**

The further Eric and Nell looked into Alfred Mitchell, the more evidence pointed towards him being the one who had partnered up with the murder victim to sell the classified information. Hopefully the agents could _persuade_ Mitchell to give up whom he was selling the information to, once interrogated. The duo upstairs at OPS kept working at finding more information, revealing that Mitchell did indeed have several phone calls with Hanson, but also a bunch of incoming calls from non-traceable numbers, probably burner phones.

Callen, Sam, and Kensi swiftly started making their way to the office floor where Mitchell would be discussing how to go about the interrogation. No one really worried, that the fifty-eight year old man could neither outrun nor outsmart the seasoned team.

"I'm telling you, he's going to make a run for it." Sam said casually, a slight smirk on his face whilst shaking his head. He never did get why suspects always tried to run, it seemed like a complete waste of time to him. If anything, it would only tire them out, leaving less energy to withstand an interrogation.

"No he isn't" Callen replied. Sam certainly did not get why his partner in crime always thought they would never run. Wishful thinking perhaps? Anyways, they had definitely had this exact conversation more times, than they could count. Kensi merely chuckled at the antics of the senior agents, she would probably side with Sam in this case, but hoped that Callen would be right. Although a slight jog to catch a researcher turned traitor would not be too bad right about now, she thought. Loosening up muscles and all that.

As Kensi expected, the bigger of the two agents turned out to be right. Mitchell tried to make, what could only be described as an incredibly pathetic attempt, at a run for it. The suspect certainly was not in anything that could even be considered a shape, except maybe round, or perhaps slightly more pear formed.

Kensi quickly stopped the suspect by simply putting her leg out, tripping the man, no steps required. Cuffed, Sam and Kensi brought Mitchell down to Sam's Challenger to take him back to the boatshed for questioning. Fairly certain that the potential leak at Minerva Precisions had been plugged, but still with a missing flash drive, Callen informed the head of security of as much, and the employees at the company were once again allowed to leave the premises. Callen got into his Aston Martin to follow his two fellow teammates back to get some information out of their suspect.

...

Mitchell was escorted into the interrogation room and left to stew a few minutes. That always seemed to get the best results after all. Whilst waiting for the suspect to be ready for interrogation, Eric and Nell briefed the team on the additional information they had on Mitchell, an off shore account with suspicious payments amongst other things.

The agents discussed how handle the interrogation the best way possible, they agreed on a bad-bad-good cop, or agent, routine that they had perfected over the years of working together. Planning to use the well-practiced interrogation technique proved to be unnecessary though, since as soon as they opened the door to the cage the little bird started to sing immediately. Turns out birds do not like stewing.

He told the team how some person had contacted him over the phone one day. Not so vague threats made towards him, his children, and ex-wife, but also with the promise of a handsome payout for completion of the task, which he had been forcibly coerced into doing. He continued to explain, that the same person had also contacted Hanson, and the two of them had to work together to get all the information that the mystery man had wanted. Kensi stepped out of the interrogation room to call into OPS making sure that a protective detail was put on the family of Mitchell until they had found the ones behind the threats.

Alfred Mitchell confessed to the murder of Jonathan Hanson, although he claimed it to be an accident after a heated argument between the two of them in the staircase, since there were no cameras there. Hanson had refused to hand over the flash drive, now complete with the software information, which the mystery caller wanted. In an attempt to pry it from the lanyard Hanson lashed out at Mitchell to defend himself, and when Mitchell pushed back his involuntary partner lost his footing at the top of the stairs, fell down, and landed extremely unfortunate, thus ending his life immediately.

"If you fought over the flash drive, where is it now?" Callen asked the man, who by now seemed extremely regretful and ashamed of what he did. It was clear that he had never intended for a life to be taken, and was now battling how to process all the information he had said aloud for the first time.

"Uhm," Mitchell started, "I put the USB in a car at work, since I knew it would only be a matter of time before you would find me."

"What car?" Sam asked harshly.

"Some dark blue Mustang convertible, I pushed the flash drive between the seat cushions" Mitchell replied.

"And how did you plan on getting the flash drive back?" Sam continued the questioning.

"I, uh, I didn't. I texted the car and license plate to the number of the guy, and told him I had put it there."

"Did you tell them where to find the flash drive or just the vehicle?" Callen continued, hoping so since that information could potentially save an innocent person from harm.

Mitchell said, suddenly realizing that he might have put another person in danger. "Oh my god. They're going to go after the owner of that car now!" He blurted out. Clearly, the answer to the agents' previous question was a solid 'no'.

"Right," Callen said, walking out the room already reaching for his phone. "Eric I need to know who owns a dark blue Mustang from Minerva Precisions, the flash drive is in that car."

"One second!" Eric said, as frantic typing could be heard in the background, "There's only one employee who owns a Mustang in blue, a Marty Deeks."

"Okay, send us his address, and try and get a beat on where he is right now." Called ordered.

Callen's teammates had joined him outside of the interrogation room, and together they rushed towards their cars. Not knowing who had forced Mitchell and Hanson to get the information, but knowing they had threatened them was an indicator to the fact that the buyers of the navy secrets would not shy away from violence. Which meant that the scruffy lawyer Callen and Kensi had met previously that day could be in serious danger without even knowing it.

The three agents got into Sam's Challenger since it always had some of their tactical gear locked in the trunk. The address sent to their phones, a house in Malibu, they drove as fast as the now heavy late afternoon traffic allowed them. Hoping that they would be able to get there in time, and the scruffy man who had somehow enthralled her earlier was okay, Kensi sat in the backseat readying her for what might meet them upon arrival.

Kensi remembered the business card Marty Deeks had given her earlier that day and quickly got it out of her wallet. She tried calling it to forewarn him, but was met with his cheery answering machine, _"You have reached Marty Deeks, if I'm not in at the moment I'm probably out catching some killer waves, call me back or leave a message!"_. Kensi could not help but smile slightly, without knowing much about the lawyer, surfer, guy, she somehow knew that the message was very _him_. Quickly she sobered as she remembered what danger he might be facing.

The traffic cleared a bit once they got to the Pacific Coast Highway, and with Sam's aggressive driving style, they soon caught up on the time lost in the LA traffic. They finally reached the neighborhood where the lawyer's residence was. Parking a bit up the street, they saw the dark blue Mustang in the driveway next to a red Jeep Wrangler with a surf rack on top. Another black sedan parked on the street in such a manner that it was blocking in both cars in.


	4. Unaware

**A/N: Thank you for the continuous support and reviews. Really brightens my day! :)**

Be aware that there will be some violence in this chapter, so if that's not your cup of tea, I apologize. Hope you enjoy!

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 **Chapter 4: Unaware**

He parked the convertible in the driveway, next to his Jeep that he would use when going to the beach. It was a bit earlier than he would usually return home, but given that he went into work a little past four in the morning because he could not sleep, he decided that was all right. A nice afternoon and evening relaxing would be just the therapy his overworked body needed. It was always like this when Minerva came up with new products or systems. His job to protect the intellectual property of the company from rivals and competitors could get very daunting, but the feeling of success when it was all over and the company's new developments in technology was protected made it almost worth it.

As he put the keys into the front door he could hear scratching coming from the other side. No doubt his four-legged best friend would be excited to see him earlier than what he usually would. The door flung open, and an extremely excited mutt greeted Marty, whom as per usually met the dog with an abundance of scratching. First right behind the ears until Monty rolled over on his back to allow continued petting on his stomach, the scratch reflex of the dog charming according to Marty, because the Deeks' certainly weren't adorable, he though.

"Yes, you are a good boy!" he said cheerily after the petting session was over, "Wanna go out for a run?"

At the mention of going for a run, the wagging of Monty's tail increased tenfold. While the retired police dog never could be accused of having a high energy level, he sure made up for the lack of physical energy in the way he became so easily excited for practically anything. A quick switch into running clothes and the leash snapped onto the collar, the two scruffy characters went for a longer run than what they usually would.

Upon returning from the run, sweaty but feeling good about himself, coming down from the infamous running high, Marty did not notice the unfamiliar black sedan parked further up the street as he entered his house once again. He dropped the, very expensive, food in Monty's bowl, convinced that his four-legged companion often ate better than he did, and made sure the scruffy dog had plenty of water. Monty could empty a lake after a run like that, and dehydration was not on the list of things wanted.

The shower turned off, he stepped out of the en suite bathroom and into his bedroom to get dressed. Not one to usually walk around in very much clothes in his house, since Monty did not mind and most of his one-day _guests_ certainly seemed to prefer him without any at all, he decided it was just a bit too early in the day to strut around wearing only his birthday suit. Grabbing a pair of boxer briefs and a pair of board shorts neglecting a shirt since his hair was still drying off and any shirt would just get wet.

As he stepped out of his bedroom, he was immediately met with a fist connecting to his solar plexus instantly knocking all air out of Marty's body, leaving him huffed over and coughing. Several other fists flying towards his liver, another weak spot. The pain eradiating out to the rest of his body, his brain short circuiting rendering him unable to do anything but shake, fighting his body to try regain any shimmer of control over it.

Roughly led back into the bedroom, still fighting his body to gain control, his hands quickly tied together and hoisted over his head, looping around the sturdy ceiling fan he finally regained enough control to look up and around, spotting two masked men. Another punch aimed at his unkempt jawline, the man barked the heavily accented question at him, "Where is the flash drive?"

The _what_? Marty thought to himself, now knowing what the two men wanted, but unable to figure out what exact flash drive they may be speaking off. He did have plenty of those he reasoned, but he left the ones with classified information in regards to intellectual property and patents at work. No way would he bring it home, a less secure location.

"What flash drive?" Sounded the reply, now having finally caught his breath once again. It almost sounded too cliché, like a sub quality action movie, where one could predict all the lines before spoken.

"The flash drive," _punch_ , "that Mitchell," _another punch_ , "gave you!" _a third punch_. All aimed at his left side ribs, go figure the assailant was right handed, all the violent people in Marty's life had seemed to be. He went over what was just said. Wait, he said a Mitchell gave it to him. Now he had no idea what they were talking about, not being able to remember anyone with that name.

"No idea what you're talking about." He coughed. Now determined to defy the two who seemingly had all the control. He had dealt with punches before, during his all too short childhood he had learned to take the pain and not show any outwards emotion other than the natural physical reaction to the strikes. He could do this. They wore masks, and he had seen enough crime thrillers that he knew that meant there was a chance that they would probably let him live. Bring it, he thought.

After several more punches aimed at his midsection one of the men exited the bedroom, returning a few minutes later he closed the door behind him, now carrying a bowl of what seemed like ice water in his other hand. Great. Now they certainly did not need to pull any punches anymore, able to instantly ice their knuckles, a tactic he had often felt the effects of, from his sorry excuse of a father, Gordon, when using it during his not so childlike childhood. Not that it seemed like they had been pulling punches, given that his left ribs were now screaming in pain as if on fire.

After Marty had decided that defiance would be his best measure of defense, he had not uttered a single word. Huff and puffs when being hit, sure, but no actual words were said. Seeing as he actually had no idea what flash drive they wanted, he really could not give them what they wanted anyways. If they knew his lack of knowledge thereof, they could decide he was of no use to them anymore and off him.

Continuously switching sides and hands to vary the blows, the entire midsection of the tough lawyer now reddened from the assault. Mentally assessing the damage done thus far, a few cracked ribs seemed quite plausible, as well as a guarantee of a plethora of bruises in all colors of the rainbow, looking down he could see them already beginning to show their ugly face.

The men stepped back from him and one of them started speaking disturbingly soft to him, as one would coerce a child before they would have them do an activity they would loathe. "We have all day. We're in no rush, and we can continue this for as long as we'd like. Just give us the information we need. Where is the flash drive?" Outwards, that merely earned the man an indifferent stare from the restrained figure, but inside Marty was increasingly worried at the sudden change in demeanor.

Something about the indifferent look made the other man snap, assaulting his chest and midsection with a few strikes aimed at his face just to change it up a little, splitting both his lip and left eyebrow. Based on the blood now slowly trickling down his face, he figured, that the two masked men were used to getting results using that creepy, whisper like way of questioning. Nevertheless, not today, Marty thought to himself. Just call me 'Marty Defiance Deeks', he thought and a small smirk appeared on his face. He had learned from an early age to retreat into himself during a beating, he knew how to handle this.

Once again, a small break in the beating occurred, and a scratching on the door was able to be heard now that the grunting and sounds from fists hitting the reddened torso was momentarily stopped.

Not a lot of facial attributes nor expressions could be seen on the two assailants seeing as they were wearing balaclavas, but an alarming grin started to spread on one of the two. He started nodding to himself, as the grin grew wider as if really pleased with whatever thought process was going on.

"It seems we really can't make you talk by beating the crap out of you," he said with a disconcerting chuckle before turning dead serious, "but what about that mangy mutt of yours?"

That elicited the first reaction in a while from the otherwise defiant man, "Don't you dare touch him!"

A chuckle turning into a sinister laughter started spreading throughout the spacious room. Slowly taking steps towards the scratching noise coming from outside the room he reached and opened the door. Allowing entrance to the worried dog, who instantly ran towards his owner, standing protectively between his legs, even though he had been a bomb sniffer, the police dog training still deeply engraved in tense situations.

The man who had opened the door once again stood in front of the lawyer, now with the mutt standing firmly between his legs. He stared at the beaten man willing him to meet his eyes. Once he did a feral grin spread across his face, "Now let's try this again, shall we?"


	5. Rescue

**A/N: Thank you all for the awesome reviews. I still have a bit of the story line planned, but would be happy to hear any prompts or ideas from you guys/girls! Much appreciation! :)**

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 **Chapter 5: Rescue**

The dark sedan blocking in the two vehicles in the driveway would not look too suspicious, to the average person passing by it would merely appear as if a knucklehead had made a terrible job parking. Based on the interrogation of Mitchell, the seasoned agents, however, knew this was not the case. The sedan strategically places as to eliminate any easy escape from the lawyer whilst being in the best possible position for a quick getaway.

Quickly exiting the Challenger, making sure to slide the seat forward quickly to allow Kensi out, they went to the back of the car and popped the trunk, where all gear necessary for going tactical was stored. The three now all wearing bulletproof vests sporting the NCIS' agency letters across the chest, Sam passed Callen and Kensi their weapons, their MP5A2 submachine guns. The trusty weapons, which had seen more than their fair share of use through the agents' multiple missions, were secured around their shoulders using the slings. Quickly checking the weapons to ensure they were ready for use.

Once everything was as it should be, the three agents put in their earwigs, connecting them to each other as well as to OPS. Eric was already prepared, giving them a brief layout of the property they would be entering while they nimbly moved towards the two-story house. The team split up to attack the house from different points of entry. Kensi moved towards the back to gain access to the house from there, whilst Callen and Sam were readying themselves at the front door.

Deciding that going in quietly would be best, both Callen and Kensi pulled out their lock pick kits and started working on the locks in unison. No more than a few seconds later, both doors were unlocked and the team slowly opened them, making sure to make as little noise as possible. Going room to room clearing, Kensi noticed the very tidy house, everything in its rightful place, completely unlike the unruly look of the owner of the house, she thought.

Having completely cleared the first floor without making any noise, the team made their way towards the staircase. Halfway up the flight of stairs they heard a heart wrenching whimper coming from above, undoubtedly the sound of a dog being hurt. The whimpering was quickly followed by some extremely aggravated yelling, even though they had previously spoken to the man, the pain and anger evident in the voice, was making it almost unrecognizable to both the agents.

"Don't you touch my dog!" The yelling sounded, the voice cracking in unmistakable anguish towards the end of the short sentence.

Now having an audible cue as to where Marty Deeks and the assailants were, the team started moving faster, still making sure to clear the few side rooms that they passed. They continued to head towards what they knew to be the bedroom thanks to Eric's previous briefing. Approaching the door the team was able to hear a man speak in what appeared to be an Eastern European accent, possibly Russian, it was hard to tell exactly through the thick wooden door. "If you don't want me to hurt your dog again, tell me where the flash drive is!"

Standing ready at the door, Callen and Sam lined up behind one another, with Kensi on the opposite side of it, ready to open it for easier entrance. Callen nodded to the female agent and tapped the ex-SEAL on the shoulder, the universal sign to go ahead. Kensi pulled down on the handle and pushed the door inwards, the two senior agents rushing through it as she quickly followed, guns pointed forward ready to meet whatever threat might have presented itself.

The stealthy approach paid off, the two assailants were caught completely off guard, "NCIS get on the ground!" Sam yelled. The order met by one of the two attempting to grab a weapon from the small on his back, Sam eliminated the threat with a double tap center mass, dropping him instantly. The other one quickly came to his senses, dropping to the floor. Callen was quick to part him of his weapon, patted him down, and restrained him using his flex cuffs. Sam made sure the other weapon was secure, kicking it away from the downed man. He checked for a pulse of the one shot, as expected, there was none.

Kensi had rushed in just behind her teammates, ready to back them up. Seeing the only two visible threats neutralized, she quickly made her way to the en suite bathroom making sure to give the all clear when she found it empty. Upon return, she immediately went to the injured figure tied to the ceiling fan. "Are you okay?" She asked concernedly, grabbing her knife to cut the rope restraining him.

"Never felt better," Marty answered, wincing at the pain. He grabbed his now free wrists in an attempt to soothe the rope burn he had gotten during the assault. He quickly bent down to the bed, where Monty had now hidden himself, still whimpering slightly. As he did, a sharp pain filled his body starting from his ribs, if Kensi had not been there to support him, he surely would have fallen to the ground.

"Woah there, easy tiger." She spoke softly, helping him down to the bed, laying so his legs were draped over the edge, but otherwise completely flat. Figuring he at least had some cracked ribs if not broken, she told Eric, still connected to them through their earwigs, to get an ambulance for Marty Deeks.

"I'm good, really." He told her upon hearing the call for an ambulance, "Can you check on Monty for me?"

"Check on who?"

"My dog, Monty, under the bed."

Nodding she kneeled down to find a very scared, scruffy dog under the bed. "Hey boy, it's okay. No one is going to hurt you." She tried soothing the dog, reaching slowly to pet him, not wanting to alarm him with any fast movements. Somehow sensing that the danger was over, Monty shuffled a little further towards Kensi, letting her pet him slowly before moving out from beneath the bed completely.

"It doesn't seem like he is injured, did they hurt him?" She asked tentatively. From the previous yelling, it is clear that they did and that Marty was beyond furious about it. Nevertheless, she needed to know to what extent in case the scruffy dog was in need of a veterinarian.

Clenching his jaw he responded, "Kicked him. Once." She noticed his now furrowed eyebrows, the anger towards the action very evident. She found it admirable how he seemingly put the safety and wellbeing of his dog above his own, merely dismissing his own situation, at least until the mutt was safe.

Callen and Sam grabed the one living suspect, and told Kensi they will bring him to the car, before then driving to the boatshed. Eric already having called LAPD and the crime scene technicians, there were little for them to do other than waiting for them and on the ambulance for Marty.

The team leader informed her, that he would wait by their car with the suspect until on the LAPD arrived, and that Sam was going to search between the cushions of the convertible to retrieve the flash drive with the classified information on it. He asked if she was good waiting on the ambulance with Marty alone. She nodded in reply as both the senior agents exited the room.

She turned her earwig off now that the danger was over, and took a seat on the edge of the bed next to the physically beaten man. "How are you feeling?" She asked tenderly. Aware that these sort of situations can have quite the psychological effect on people.

"Just peachy," he released his breath. Eyes still closed, now focused solely on controlling his breathing properly. She thought it strange that he automatically knows to handle his breathing like that, something most people often tend to forget, or neglect, after these type of ordeals.

Kensi caught herself staring at his face and, the slightly long, fluffy hair with a bit of dried blood on the edge curtesy of his split eyebrow. She let her gaze drift to his scruffy jawline, continuing lower to his naked torso, most of which now carried a nasty discoloration thanks to the beating. She quickly chastised herself for doing so, she could not let her mind drift like that. Not right now at least. She asked him again, now with a bit more authority, like a parent or teacher not accepting an answer. "And how are you really feeling?"

Marty half huffed, half chuckled at that. Raising his head an inch off the bed, he looked down over himself, quickly assessing the damage and responded, "Been better. It's honestly not that bad, probably a few cracked ribs and some mad bruising."

"Okay," feeling better about his now honest answer. "Are you able to walk downstairs if I support you? It'll be hard for the EMTs to get a stretcher up the stairs."

Nodding, he allowed her to help him up from his prone position, she gingerly helped pull him further up. He was putting on a brave smile for her, but she could see in his eyes, that he was in quite a lot of pain. Although no longer a life and death situation, the sooner the EMTs would arrive to relieve him of said pain, the better. As he stood, she placed one of his arms over her shoulders to better support him, making sure that she is not hurting his ribs by the support, they started taking tentative steps out of the bedroom. Monty walked protectively right behind his owner, tail still tucked between his legs.

Having reached the bottom of the stairs and lowered onto his couch, he was completely exhausted from the small trip. He threw his head back against the cushion, trying to regain his breath. He felt the female agent's gaze upon him. Opening his eyes, he looked at her as she smiled shyly at him, slightly embarrassed being caught staring. "I guess I owe you a thank you, huh?" His brave smile turned closer into the usual Marty Deeks captivating one, but the split lip and bruised jaw made him unable to pull it off without wincing.

"You don't owe me anything. I'm just happy we got to you in time." She told him in a matter of fact voice.

"Me too," he responded soberly.

Silence filled the room once more. Giving time for Marty to replay what he had gone through in his head. He thought of how he now had to go to the hospital and how Monty was. Monty, he suddenly realized that the scruffy dog would be alone for quite some time. He looked at the female agent, who had seemingly been studying his facial expressions. Their eyes met, and he tilted his head slightly, looking at her pleadingly before asking, "Would you mind taking Monty to my neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Mayfair and ask them if they'd mind looking after him for a day or two?"

At first a bit confused at the request, she realized the same thing Marty had, that he would probably be away from the dog for longer than the mutt should be alone, given that he needs walking and feeding. She nodded at him smiling, "Sure, I'll be right back then." She did as he had requested, unable to resist the charm of his puppy eyes, she found herself wanting to help him.

She returned just as the ambulance arrived, and she guided them to their patient. They assessed his injuries, while he insisted that he did not need to go to the hospital and that with some icepacks he would be all right. Kensi managed to convince him to let them take care of him, using a stare that was somewhere in between forceful and pleading. The EMTs finally got to put him on the stretcher. They wheeled him into the back of the ambulance and Kensi followed, sitting in the back with him. Raising an eyebrow, he looked at her questioningly. She looked back at him a small smile brightening her face, as she shrugged one of her shoulders.


	6. Recovery

**A/N: The next few chapters will be a bit slower paced than the two last chapters you have just read, so sorry for the lack of exciting writing! I'm trying to build up the world in which the story will be in.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Recovery**

Callen and Sam left their female teammate alone to look after the injured lawyer, as they lead the apprehended suspect out of the bedroom and down to the car. Callen, making sure his firm grip on the cuffed man's arm were just a tad bit tighter than needed, led him into the back of the Charger, slamming the door he turned to wait for his partner to join him for the ride back to the boatshed. Whilst waiting he considered calling the tiny operations manager, but quickly pushed that back, reasoning it to be wiser to wait until they had recovered the information, besides she would already have a sit rep since they had been connected to OPS during the breach and clear of the house. He did however send Eric a quick text from the phone they had taken from the man, so he could check all the calls it had made and received.

Sam had split off heading for the dark blue convertible to look for what the men were after. Mumbling a few swears under his breath he squeezed into the backseat, being as muscular as he was, he could barely fit in the width behind the front seats, using the legroom he awkwardly moved into a position where he could reach for where they had been told the flash drive would be. Making a mental note to force Callen do the next non-spacious the next time it would be needed, he tucked his hand down between the car seats to search for the tiny treasure. After a bit of rummaging he was eventually successful in recouping the flash drive filled with classified information.

"Any trouble recovering the flash drive?" The team leader asked wearing a slight smirk, as Sam approached the car.

"You knew there wasn't a lot of space in the back of that car." Sam responded in a dead serious manner, letting Callen know that he found what he was looking for without verbalizing it directly in case the detainee in the back seat could hear what they were saying. He knew that the team leader had made him retrieve it in the tight space just to have a bit of what could only be described as their unconventional office banter. But then again, nothing really is conventional when you are working as agents for an agency branch specializing in high risk and undercover tasks.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He responded, trying to look as innocent as possible but failing miserably.

"That's bull, G, and you know it." Sam commented, shaking his head at his friend, now donning a small smile he continued, giving Callen a humorous glare. "You're doing the next tight squeeze."

Walking around the car trying to stifle a laugh, Callen opened the door and slid into the passenger seat, not wanting to push it further than he already had by suggestion that he should drive. Joining his partner in the car, Sam turned on the ignition and the two made their way towards the boatshed to interrogate the person currently sitting behind them restrained.

...

The back of the ambulance was quiet except for the few questions from the paramedic and the following answers he gave them. Not necessarily awkward silence but not comfortable either, and how could it be comfortable, knowing what had put the injured man there. Finding himself in the uncomfortable position of coming down from the adrenaline rush from the previous event and not having the pain medicine from the EMTs quite kick in yet, he focused on his breathing to control the pain until they did.

Pulling up into the ambulance bay outside of the hospital, the paramedics got out, pulling Marty out of the back of the vehicle with them. Moving him into the large building Kensi followed closely behind, feeling somewhat guilty over what had happened to the injured figure on the stretcher, she felt compelled to at the very least stay with him, until he had gotten the first evaluation from a doctor.

Given that his injuries were not life threatening and the pain medicine had begun to take effect, Marty was moved into one of the small stations along the corridor of the emergency room. The only privacy being a thin curtain wrapping around the bed he was now laying in.

Sitting in a chair next to him, Kensi leaned back her head and closed her eyes, allowing herself to relax for a just a short while. The curtain for privacy did nothing to lower the noise level, which in the middle of the emergency room was at uncomfortable levels. Crying from children, groaning from others, general conversations between the nurses and patients, and the faint sounds of the arrival and departure of sirens outside. The combination between all the sounds along with the general business of the hospital made for an incredible bad experience.

Kensi was pulled out of her thoughts when the man lying in the hospital bed next to her broke the silence. "You really don't have to stay here with me."

Flustered at the comment from him. Contemplating whether he actually wanted her to keep him company or not. "I know I don't have to do that. I want to do that." She responds, more confidence in her voice than she felt at the moment, before she added, shrugging her right shoulder. "Seems like the least I can do, given what happened today."

She sees how he looks at her with appreciation at the first part of the comment, but it quickly changed to one resembling annoyance upon hearing the second part. She swallows hard. Off put and slightly worried at the sudden change in demeanor from the man, she asks, "I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?"

Looking slightly abashed, that she was able to read the change in his facial expression with ease, but somehow also managing to look determined at the same time. "I don't want your pity." He stated firmly but softly unable to maintain eye contact.

She takes a moment to study the look into his eyes, which were now looking down on the thin sheet covering him. Whatever answer she had expected, this certainly was not it. Seeing some of the previous determination in his eyes slowly fading and turning into sadness. Not sure what he must have experienced to have such a reaction towards anything even resembling pity. She would not have classified what she felt towards him as being pity, more like compassionable protectiveness perhaps. However thinking it over that still coincides with pity.

Taking a deep breath, not sure why, but determined to right whatever wrong she had just done to him. "Okay." She starts, slowly releasing her breath and continuing, "I don't pity you. I just wanted to make sure you didn't have to go through this alone." She knows from the background check that Eric and Nell had done before she had interrogated the man, that he did not have any family nor did they find anything suggesting a romantic relationship.

His look softened, and once more resembled one of appreciation as he opens his mouth as if to say something but closes it shortly after, not finding words. Inhaling deeply and breathing out slowly through puffed cheeks, a method of relaxing, he finally looked at her again. "Thank you. That means a lot." Emotion clear in his voice.

Still looking at him, Kensi feels a smile softly spreading across her lips, happy that it seemed like she had said the right thing to defuse the situation. As she opens her mouth to respond, a doctor and nurse coming to assess Marty's situation, interrupting whatever she was about to say.

Confirming to the doctors, that his torso and head were the only places struck, they check him over, taking his vitals and noting all the injuries. Before leaving, the doctor informs him, that they will need a couple of x-rays, to determine the exact damage caused to his midsection and jaw, and that a porter will come and transport him there once the radiology department has availability.

Now late in the evening and tired from the physical harm in combination with the painkillers, Marty fails to stifle a yawn. Taking note of this Kensi smiles at him. "I should probably get going, you need to get some rest."

Looking at her he smiles softly, "Yeah. That doesn't sound like a bad idea."

She looks softly at him, "Okay then. You take care of yourself." Patting him on his biceps as a goodbye before turning to leave the small curtained off room.

She stopped pulling the curtain aside when she heard his voice behind her, "Agent Blye," she turned around so she was looking at him, waiting for him to continue. "You uhm" he pauses briefly, before continuing, pushing past the lump now stuck in his throat. "You said I don't owe you anything" he pauses for a moment, gathering his thoughts, seemingly a bit uncertain, "At my house, you said that I don't owe you anything, but I was thinking… perhaps I, uhm, perhaps I could owe you dinner sometime?" Looking at her uncertainly, hopeful but ready for disappointment as if expecting it.

The hesitation in his voice was completely unlike what she had experienced him as during the interrogation back at Minerva Precisions that morning. Kensi stared at him, thinking for a moment how a man seeming so secure and confident could suddenly seem so doubtful of himself. Thinking it could be a combination of possible previous rejections as well as the vulnerable situation he finds himself in currently. Alternatively, it could be because of the fact that he knew that she was a special agent, although she would not know, the men she would usually take home never had a clue as to what her real profession was.

As she snaps out of thought, Kensi realizes what he had actually said, had he really asked her out on a date, doubt clouding her mind. As in a _date_ , date, or was it just something he thought was expected to say his thanks. Seemingly able to read her as well as she had him previously, he pulled her from her thoughts. "It's okay if you don't want to. I get it." He states looking dejected from her lack of response.

Chastising herself for making him feel doubtful about himself by misleading him with her lack of immediate reply. She looks at him suddenly coming to the decision she deep down knew she would all along. Smiling, she answers him. "I guess I was wrong." He now looked at her confused, and Kensi reveled in the discomfort she knowingly created, before putting his mind at ease. "I guess you do owe me something after all."

The confused look printed on Marty's face quickly faded and turned into one of pure happiness as he realized that her cryptic answer was an acceptance of his offer, and for the first time since that morning Kensi was rewarded with his captivating smile once again. Slowly nodding to himself as if still processing the fact that the female agent actually accepted his offer.

She, too is smiling, thinking he looks adorable right at that moment, not that she would tell him that though, no need to put fuel onto that fire. Vulnerable yet completely ecstatic, as if momentarily having forgotten what horribleness he had gone through. Thinking back at what he had said, she realizes that he had called her 'Agent Blye'. Thinking over why, the answer was obvious to her. Callen would have introduced her as such during their first meeting, and she never would have had a need to tell him otherwise. "And it's Kensi, by the way."

"Kensi," He says, testing the name aloud. "Okay. I guess _you_ will have to call _me_ then, seeing as I don't have your card or number." Now grinning widely at her and trying but failing miserably to look as innocent as possible, his previous confidence and playfulness apparently having returned tenfold.

Shaking her head at his antics, she responded, "Guess I will then. _However_ , you need to get better first. Deal?"

"Deal!" His quick reply confirms, now grinning from ear to ear.

She turned her back to him once more going to leave the small amount of privacy in the otherwise busy emergency room. Now fully out of his small stall, she takes a short moment to let out the huge smile she had been trying to conceal. Tucking her chin down to her chest, closing her eyes and grinning widely, reveling in what had just happened for a short moment, before heading out towards the hospital parking lot.

Halfway through the parking lot, Kensi realizes that she had driven to the hospital in the back of the ambulance with Marty. Quickly pulling out her phone, calling Nell. The tiny intelligence analyst telling her that she will send an agent to come pick her up, seeing as there is still a lot of work to do for her and Eric to do at this moment, given that they had already started searching for facial recognition on the person captured but have yet to get a confirmation.

She thanks Nell and hangs up the phone, grateful to Nell, that she will be providing a private taxi service for her, but realizing she will now have to wait for agents' arrival. Quickly considering going back into the ER to Marty, but decides against it, reasoning that he needs rest and that it would just seem a bit weird. Kensi opts for a small coffee shop she can see from the parking lot, which still seemed to be open at this late hour.

Happy that she is in LA where everything is open and available at all times of the day. She gets her coffee and relaxes, waiting for Nell to pick her up and drive them both to the boatshed, to see how far her colleagues have gotten with the assailant.


	7. The Facilitators

**A/N: Once again thank you for the continued support of reading the story, never fails to bring a smile to my face to see the numbers increase!**

 **If you do have any questions regarding, well, anything please feel free to ask away, and I will attempt to answer them in the 'A/N' either at the bottom of this chapter or start of the next.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: The Facilitators**

Los Angeles traffic is bad, but as the two agents rediscovered, late afternoon Los Angeles traffic is abysmally horrible. Sitting in the black car, they were extremely grateful that the air-conditioning worked as intended, otherwise this bumper to bumper traffic would have been even more unbearable than what it currently was.

Finally arriving at the boatshed after a drive that had taken them more than twice as long than it had on the drive out to Malibu in the first place. Callen led the assailant into the building closely followed by Sam, making sure the man would comply and not make any dangerous, or in their minds stupid, moves. Closing the door to the interrogation room, they had just placed the man in, the two agents gathered in front of the small screen connected to OPS to see if there are any updates in regards to the identity of the apprehended.

The screen turned on and connected them with Eric and Nell and in front of them were their operations manager.

"Mr. Callen, Mr. Hanna, good work ensuring Mr. Deeks' safety. How is he?" She asked, knowing her staff in OPS had been worried about his wellbeing.

"He was pretty beat up, but nothing life threatening." Sam explained, quickly adding the last part to assure the team from OPS that he would be all right.

"Kensi went with him to the hospital to make sure everything's okay." The team leader chimed in.

"I see." Hetty responded, "And our mystery man?"

"Hasn't said a word yet. We wanted to see if you guys had anything for us before starting the interrogation." The team leader explained, the question in his statement triggered with Eric who started explaining.

"Nothing new off the facial rec, sorry guys." He stated before continuing, "But we did check the calls on the phone you texted us from." Stopping briefly to let Nell take over the explanation, knowing she had done the check on the numbers.

"There were several calls made between the phone your guy had and Mitchell and Hanson." Confirming what they had already known, she continued. "There are also several other calls made from the phone, but all to other untraceable phones." Not sure if the information would help currently, but at least it let them know that he had used the mobile device to contact others than just the two employees at Minerva Precisions.

"Very well. Gentlemen, I'm afraid we don't have anything to aid you as of right now. Mr. Beale and Ms. Jones will contact you once they have any new information." With that, the connection between OPS and the boatshed was ended.

The two agents knew what Hetty had meant in her statement, that they did not have any advantage over the man currently sitting waiting in the interrogation room they could now see on the monitor once again. Studying the screen, they could see the heavy built man sitting down in the chair provided, his whole posture exuded confidence as if he owned the room he was in and certainly not worried about being on the wrong side of the law.

After having spent almost an hour interrogating the man, or at least attempting to, it was made clear that such a thing would not happen. The unidentified perpetrator had clearly received training in counter interrogation techniques, his constant tapping in varying rhythms to throw them off, not making any eye contact at all, and of course his complete silence. No words at all, no request for a lawyer, no responses to any questions, nothing.

Walking out of the room to take a break from the lack of success from inside it. The ex-SEAL was clearly frustrated with the lack of progress, he was used to having his physique working as an intimidation factor, and if that did not work he and his partner would have an entire arsenal of different other approaches to the interrogation. All of the ones they had tried had been completely stonewalled by the individual, who refused to even acknowledge the agents presence in the room.

Thwarted from making any progress inside the interrogation room bigger agent went outside to grab some air to clear his head. He came back a few minutes later with coffee for both of them in his hands, passing his partner one. Callen turned to the screen and once more connected them to OPS hoping they had had more success than he and Sam had. Hopeful that they would have some information that would bring them closer to figuring out who the people behind the attempted purchase of Navy secrets was.

...

Upstairs in the old Spanish Mission, the technical operator and intelligence analyst had been working and typing away, concentrating fully on the task at hand, attempting to unveil anything useful from the phone they had gotten off the suspect while the facial recognition software was running in the background.

A beeping interrupted the sounds of the constant keystrokes, signaling the software attempting to identify the man had found a match. The two quickly looked at each other, a sudden positive energy between them at the fact they finally had some advancement in the case.

Looking at the picture of a man now on the screens in front of them, and then comparing it to the picture Callen had taken and sent of the man, it was clear that it was a match and no software errors had occurred. Thankful for that fact the two started reading the information in the file attached to the picture. Making sure to reread it at least once to ensure there would be no mistakes when relaying the information to the rest of the team.

After finishing reading it for the second time, but still processing the information, Eric broke the silence, "We should probably call the guys and tell them about this." Stating the obvious, his voice uneasy from the data they now had of the man.

"That is probably a good idea," Nell replied, using the same uneasy tone that her partner just had. "You call them and I'll go inform Hetty." Knowing that Eric would prefer informing the team seeing as being around Hetty seemed to make him uncomfortable, as he had once, after a few drinks, told her that it was not because he was afraid or concerned around her, he just did not want to disappoint her with lacking information. Nell had accepted that since she had no problems informing their boss, so it all worked out.

Nell made her way downstairs to inform Hetty of the new information they had gotten. As the automatic door closed behind her, Eric was about to call Callen's phone when a call request came from the boatshed.

"Hey Callen, great timing! I was just about to call you." Eric chirped at the agent he saw on the screen.

"I'm guessing you have something for us then Eric?" Callen asked hopeful of a potential briefing.

"Yeah. We just got a hit on face rec of the guy you caught." Eric explained as he pulled off some of his computing wizardry to pull up the photo of the man in question before continuing. "Bazin Aleskeevich, Russian citizen. He is wanted by Interpol for murder, kidnapping, armed robberies, solicitation along with a whole number of lesser charges as well."

Nell having come back from briefing Hetty returned alongside Hetty. She took over and continued to explain, "He is connected to a group known as 'The Facilitators'. A highly trained Eastern European group who works for the highest bidder. It was formed by former KGB members and otherwise it is primarily ex-special forces. They have been connected to several terrorist groups and crime syndicates all over the world, though primarily working for groups out of Eastern Europe."

Silence filled the two rooms as the group took in all the new information they had just received. Somewhere at the start of the briefing Kensi had joined her two fellow agents in the boatshed.

It was Callen who spoke up the first, verbalizing where the newfound knowledge left them in regards to the case at hand. "So we don't actually know who was after the information. Just who tried to get it."

A sour look on Sam's face before continuing the team leader's train of thought, "Which means they might try and get it again. And we're no closer to finding out who or why."

"It would appear as such, Mr. Hanna. However, for now we have stopped the potential bleeding of classified intelligence." The operations manager assured her team, then getting back to business, commandeering her troops, "Ms. Jones, Mr. Beale, would you share this information with the appropriate sources in Interpol? Mr. Callen, Mr. Hanna, would you try to use this new information to see if we can get our Mr. Aleskeevich to talk? Ms. Blye would you go back to Minerva Precisions to brief the head of security on status quo? I have a few calls I need to make."

Although all three requests were stated as questions, the team had worked with their operations manager for long enough to know that they were orders in disguise. As such, the team confirmed what Hetty had asked them to do, and they split up once again.

The duo stationed in OPS started at the task at hand, Sam and Callen started talking over how to approach the interrogation, and Kensi made her exit from the boatshed just as quickly as she had her entry.

...

It had been several hours since the team last had met up and discussed how to further approach the situation regarding the case. Nell and Eric had informed Interpol that they had apprehended the wanted man, and were awaiting response, which should be soon since it was in the middle of the night in LA, and the time zone difference would make it midday in Lyon, where Interpol's headquarters are located.

Callen and Sam had attempted to use the information they had to get Aleskeevich to talk, but they had just as much success on their second attempt at an interrogation as they had on their first. The only reaction they had gotten out of him was when they said his name aloud, but only for a few seconds, until his mastered poker face was printed on his face once again.

Kensi had been able to talk with the head of security at Minerva Precisions, even though it was past midnight when she had arrived. The man was still around ensuring all the security protocols were as they should be and that nothing else seemed to be in danger of being leaked.

The three agents were now all sitting at their desks back at OSP. Kensi had picked up coffee for them all seeing, as they would need some caffeine in order to work through the night and still be concentrated. Normally working on an operation through the night would not require such, but considering there was not a lot of things to do since they had no tangible leads, coffee was a necessity.

The silence was broken by the sudden appearance of their operations manager. "I have spoken to our friends in The Agency." The agents only slightly startled by the unexpected sound, since they were somewhat used to the stealthy approach of Hetty as she continued, "They will be taking Mr. Aleskeevich into custody, and we will close this case on our end."

Kensi was about to protest, after all it was navy secrets the case had contained, but as she opened her mouth, she was silenced by Hetty raising her hand, "I understand, Ms. Blye, but this is not up for discussion. The orders came from above and I can guarantee you that whatever the CIA has on him will be worse than the attempted theft of classified information."

" _And_ the attack on Marty." Kensi quickly cut in, unsure why she felt the need to make sure they remembered that part, but the lawyer had after all had quite the effect on the female agent.

"That too, dear." Hetty righted, "It is late, and seeing how the case is over from our end I suggest that you all go home and get some rest. I don't expect to see any of you before noon." After the operation manager said her 'suggestion', she turned away from the bullpen and made her way back to her office, probably to continue whatever phone calls she had to attend.

The three agents collectively looked a bit deflated over the fact that they would not be continuing the investigation, their pride always hurt after being taken off a case even though they knew that it had nothing to do with them, but rather jurisdiction or orders way above their paygrade.

Still in a sour mood over being swept aside by the bigger agency, the team started to pack up their things. "I guess we'll see each other later today," the team leader tried to lighten the mood. Sam and Kensi nodded and both said their farewell. Soon after the Spanish Mission was, once again, empty barring the usual skeleton crew that worked nights and of course Hetty.


	8. Realization

**Chapter 8: Realization**

It had been a slow week at The Mission. Most time mainly spent on catching up on paperwork and, when that got too monotonous, with time spent either at the gym or firing range as well as the odd excursion to question a potential witness in regards to a lower priority cold cases, that never really seemed to go anywhere anyways.

The bullpen was relatively quiet, with no cases there were no discussions about theories nor suspects and witnesses. No plans being made about how to approach, and solve, a particular problem, only the shuffling of paper were heard, with the odd trip to the coffee machine to break up the monotony.

Kensi, having just finished her latest report, was about to ask both Callen and Sam if they would want to join her for some sparring in the gym, but was interrupted before she had the chance. A terrible noise sounded from above where Eric stood at the top of the stairs eagerly blowing into a kazoo he had somehow procured. They were used to his weird ways of summoning them, but anyone who has ever had the misfortune of hearing the instrument can attest to the horrible sound it makes.

If it were not for the fact that the team had been completely starved for some action, and that the new case would probably relieve the itch they were feeling for it, Eric would have been in serious risk of physical harm judging by the scorn Sam game him. Inwardly shaking slightly, he followed the three agents into OPS to brief the team alongside Nell.

Gathering around in the ream Nell started the briefing, "Asher Young, twenty-seven, hasn't been seen since yesterday, where he called in sick to work. He is a software engineer at Minerva Precisions."

"Isn't that-" Was all Callen could say before he was interrupted by their operations manager who had suddenly appeared without anyone noticing.

"The DoD contractor from last week. Indeed it is, Mr. Callen." She stated matter-of-factly, before continuing. "Given the nature of the past weeks' event, you can understand why SecNav wants to use an abundance of caution in regards to this."

Everyone in the room took a small moment to gather their thoughts, it seemed that the case they had worked before being put on the sideline was now back on their hands.

After a nod from Hetty, Eric went on with the information. "We haven't been able to find anything on where Young might be. No phone calls, no appearances on traffic cameras, and nothing on his credit card. We did however find this," he said, motioning to the big screen in the room, where there was now a photo of some guy in what looked to be an airport. "Aleksey Bakaj, forty-four, entered LAX three days ago according to this photo. He is part of the group The Facilitators."

"Seems like they're doing a second run at getting that classified information." Sam said, stating aloud what everyone else in the room had also concluded.

"It would appear as such, Mr. Hanna. Please do ensure that second time is not the charm for them."

"Do we have any other information on this Bakaj guy?" Callen asked, ever so logical in his methods.

Some quick typing on the keyboard brought a document to the big screen. Once again the information was from Interpol, just as it had been the previous week with Bazin Aleskeevich. It was Nell who continued, since she had spent the time Eric had used to explain to quickly re-read the information.

"Ex-Ukrainian special forces turned gun for hire, is now associated with The Facilitators, and primarily working out of Eastern Europe. Seems he specializes in information gathering and kidnapping. He was an interrogator in the army." Nell paused as Sam spoke up once more.

"Spetsnaz is not known to be _delicate_ in handling their prisoners." He stated simply, telling the team in his own way that torture was a distinct possibility. He had worked alongside one or two during his time in some anti-terror taskforces, his SEAL team had been an integral part of.

"How was he even allowed to enter the country?" Kensi asked, no longer able to keep the question to herself.

"Travelled under false passport." Eric answered, shrugging his shoulders as if it was the simplest of answers.

"Okay." Callen started, taking over the conversation to direct his team. "Kensi you go back to Minerva Precisions, see what information you can get on Young." She nodded once, firmly, to let him know she understood what he wanted her to do.

"Eric, Nell, I want you to find everything you have on both Young and Bakaj, find out if he rented a car, hotel, anything. We need to find his current location." He paused and looked at the two.

"You got it!" The two answered simultaneously as they turned to their computers and started typing.

"Sam, you and I will go take a look at Young's apartment. Eric?"

"Already sent the address to your phones." He answered, getting a nod from Callen he smiled, glad that he once more was able to know what the senior agent wanted from him.

"It seems we have our work cut out for us. I will see if our friends in The Agency has any additional information that may be of use." Hetty stated. Knowing that she agreed with the instructions Callen had given the team, the three agents made their way to the parking lot to get the investigation underway.

...

Callen and Sam had found subtle signs of a struggle at the apartment that many would have missed. Some slightly moved furniture compared to where the marks on the carpet was, as well as signs that the lock to the house had been picked. It confirmed what the team already suspected, that the disappearance of the software engineer was definitely not voluntary, but with no tangible leads for them to follow up on the two found themselves heading back to the old Spanish Mission once more.

Kensi had even less success than her male teammates, no one had any useful information about their coworker. She had once again talked to the head of security, informing him of what was going on, the man was clearly frustrated that even though he had taken further measures to secure the facility, it had been of no use since it had happened off-site.

After reconvening back at OSP, the team had spent the remainder of the day talking to Young's family and close friends, but unfortunately, they all said the same thing. That he was a friendly and reliable person that would not just disappear as he had, further confirming the team's theory, but not helpful in any way.

Now sitting once more in the bullpen, the team each nursing their coffees, taking a moment to relax and refuel on caffeine. Having spent the entire day out of the office questioning relatives and most of the night chasing down dead-end leads and going to bars Young frequented. It was now early morning hours, the sun just starting to rise.

Eric and Nell came down to join the team, the agents having also picked up beverages for them. They all sat in companionable silence for a little while until a nagging feeling Kensi had felt throughout the day finally came to the surface once again. She decided to share it this time.

"Something feels… _off_ , about all of this." She broke the silence.

The team all looked questioningly at the female agent. Sam spoke up first, "What do you mean by _off_?"

"I'm not sure." She paused, trying to find words to give a proper reason to her feeling, finding none she continued anyways, "I've just had this nagging feeling about the case all day." She knew that in her line of work going with one's gut feeling was usually the better move, even if you were not entirely sure why that feeling was there.

"Alright. Well what is different this time?" Nell, the ever so analytical, asked the team. Thinking that perhaps airing the differences could help make her teammate realize what had been nagging her throughout the day.

Everyone went quiet once again, all thinking back to the prior week and the first attempt at stealing classified information. Wrapping their heads around the characteristics of the two situations, and considering the distinctions. Callen was the one to first break the silence.

"Last time they threatened the employees to get the information at work, this time they kidnapped one."

The team continued brainstorming differences between the cases, until Eric stated the obvious.

"Well, we know there were two bad guys last time."

"That's it!" Kensi yelled, surprising herself by her loud expression.

The others looked at her quizzically, unsure of why the simple statement from Eric had such a reaction with Kensi. Obviously, it had made something _click_ for her. They waited patiently as they could see their friend considering how to put her thoughts into words once more.

"Well?" Callen asked, no longer able to stand the silence.

"That's it!" Kensi started, "There were _two_ of them. Last week there was two guys." Expressing it like it was the most obvious thing in the entire universe. She looked at her colleagues finding only questioning looks from them she elaborated.

"There were two employees. A software person and a lawyer. Why have they only taken a software one this time?"

Silence once again found its way into the bullpen, taking a few moments to think of what Kensi had just said. Sam came with a conclusion. "That's because there's only one guy this time, it would be hard for him to remain in control of two different people."

"Eric, how many lawyers work at Minerva?" Callen asked.

"Uhm, just one second," was the answer, as he pulled up his tablet to find the information. "Fourteen it seems." Was the answer.

Realizing that would be way too many to cover, Callen thought for a second, "Alright, what type of lawyer was Mitchell?"

"That would be," Eric drew out the last word until he found the answer to Callen's question, "IP lawyer. Mitchell was an IP lawyer at Minerva."

Catching on to the team leader's train of thought, Kensi followed up the question, "And how many of those are there at the company?"

"Three. Well, two since Mitchell is no longer there actually." The blonde-haired man replied.

"Who and where are they?" Sam chimed in, now also realizing where this line of questioning was going.

The two techies started typing away on both their tablets. Nell responded first, having found the information on her own tablet. "Vanessa Parker, she is on holidays at the Cayman Isles with her husband according to her social media."

"And the second one is-" Eric started but was interrupted by Kensi.

"Marty Deeks." She stated, suddenly remembering the information from before their interrogation of him last week.

Given their interaction with the lawyer from the previous week, the team had a good idea of where he would be, and as such, the three agents quickly made their way towards the parking lot. Knowing that since Vanessa Parker was out of the country and Alfred Mitchell was incarcerated, Marty Deeks would be the only feasible option for The Facilitators.

On the way to the vehicle, Kensi pulled out her phone and tried calling the lawyer, having added his number to her contacts after the case. Getting no answer they upped the pace, knowing that even seconds could be the difference between ensuring the safety of him and him being gone upon their arrival at his house.

Sitting in the back of the black SUV, Kensi allowed her thoughts to wander to the man who had asked her out on a date. A date that she for once actually found herself looking forward to. Concern started to wash over her as the team once again were slowed down by traffic on their way to the Malibu residence they had stopped an attack in a week prior.


	9. Picked Up

**A/N: Finally! Sorry for the long wait, hope it was worth it!**

 **Thank you all for the many reviews, much appreciated.**

 **Especially 'Guest': Who pointed out some flaws regardin orderlies vs. porters and transport of prisoners. It's reviews like that which helps me improve, so thank you!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Picked up**

It had been an excruciatingly long week for Marty Deeks, the injuries he had sustained meant that he was unable to do a lot of his usual activities. He had once been used to daily beatings, granted, very rarely, had it been as severe as he had to suffer through last week. He had been forced to stay throughout the night when he had arrived the first time at the hospital, he had gone through a complete medical examination that revealed one broken rib and three cracked ones.

Having visited the hospital once again yesterday, he had gotten new x-rays taken and physically he was improving at the rate the doctors were expecting, but ribs take a long time to heal, at least six weeks in total if he were to believe the doctor.

He was getting increasingly restless, being restricted to either standing up straight or laying completely, or almost completely, flat was draining for a person who was used to living a very active lifestyle. No surfing, no morning runs, and no weightlifting did not sit well with him.

At least he had his four-legged companion to keep him company, but sometimes even that was not enough seeing as he could hardly take him for walks or runs because of his ribs. The Mayfair's had been a regular sight at his front door, coming to take Monty out for him. Thinking of that he made a mental note to get the helpful older couple a bottle or two of wine as thanks.

Seeing as he was starting to lose some of his natural tan from having been away from the beach and surfing for a week, Marty decided that some relaxation in his backyard would be just the right thing. Monty loved being outside in general so he was certain he would not receive any complaints from the happy mutt. He went to his bedroom to change into a short pair of shorts and to put on his special sunscreen, needing to be mindful of the sun, especially now where he had been a week with limited exposure to it.

Walking outside onto his deck, leaving his backdoor open to air out his home, he carefully moved one of his two reclining loungers into a position better suitable for tanning, mindful of his injured ribs, he got it into position and went to grab a glass and a pitcher of ice tea before laying down carefully. He realized that he had left his phone indoors, but could not get himself to go through the hassle of getting it, besides, he did not expect a call from anyone.

Still tired from lack of sleep, which was caused by two factors, primarily the physical pain and the discomfort that injured ribs came with, the other was the nightmares. He had been having them ever since he got home from the hospital. Sometimes they were about the recent attack, sometimes about his childhood, and sometimes a weird combination of both mixed together.

Monty jumped up and laid down on top of his ankles, aware that while he usually was not allowed in the furniture, there were different rules outside, and the mutt took full advantage of that. Looking down at the happy companion, Marty let his gaze drift over his own body, the ugly bruises around his ribcage having started to change from a dark purple in the middle, towards a lighter greenish and yellow color on the edges. Sighing he leaned his head back and tried to relax. Hopeful that the sun and his four-legged friend would be able to keep the bad dreams away, Marty started slowly drifting into what he hoped to be the first blissful sleep for over a week.

He was abruptly pulled out of sleep when a hand grabbed his shoulder and shook him. Quickly Marty darted into a sitting position from the shock of being pulled out of a bad dream. Regret caught up with him as his injured ribs protested loud and painfully. Grimacing, he closed his eyes forcefully as he laid back again in an attempt to soothe his now hurting midsection, momentarily forgetting what had woken him up.

"Wow, easy there tiger," he heard a soothing voice coming from his left side. A voice he seemed to recognize but could not quite pinpoint.

Managing to open his eye on the side the voice coming from, taking his time to adjust his sight to the bright sunshine. Focus coming back to him he saw the stunning form of the NCIS agent from the week prior.

"I usually think of myself as more of a jungle cat," he replied. Humor seemingly always coming before clarity for him. She merely shook her head and smiled. "I thought we agreed that you would call me before meeting again?"

"And you had to be fully healed," she reminded him lightly. "That's not why I'm here though, Marty." A now serious expression taking over her face.

"And why exactly _are_ you here?" He asked, immediately having registered the change in her demeanor.

"We have reason to believe you might be in danger."

That response was definitely _not_ he had been expecting, perhaps needing a witness statement or some documents, but certainly not danger, again. Flashing a concerned look at the pretty agent, he quickly regained control and once again let his well-practiced mask of humor take over again. "Are you planning on making that a weekly thing, because," he paused gesturing to his face and down his naked and injured torso, "I don't think I'd like that very much."

The glare he received from her told him that the joke had definitely _not_ been well received.

Kensi went into agent-mode, pushing back any of the feelings she had felt last week, and, to be honest, was still feeling when looking down on the half-naked, sun tanning man. "We need to leave now, get dressed."

Marty started to move slowly to get up from the lounger, much to the displeasure of his dog who had been snoozing away completely unaware of their guest. He realized that this was a potentially serious situation, but his walls were up high and as such, humor was his defense. "I must admit Kensi that I usually prefer to be asked to take clothes _off_ not on." Shooting her his best smirk and winking at her as he got up from his position.

His blatant flirting was met by a huff from the female agent, but he could have sworn he saw slight reddening of her neck and cheeks.

As he walked back into his house, he saw the two other agents, who had also been present last week, standing in his living room, stern looks on both of their faces. Making a mental note to thank them for getting him out of the sticky situation he found himself in last week, he made his way to his bedroom, taking the stairs slowly, one at a time to keep his ribs from further protests.

A few minutes later, Marty found himself walking into his living room where the three saviors from the week prior also were. Kensi could not stop herself from looking him over a little too thoroughly as he walked into the room. The sight on the sun deck prior had definitely been good, but now that his bruises were mainly hidden, barring a fading one on his jaw, she could appreciate his figure in a more relaxed setting. He was wearing a light blue button up shirt, a pair of beige chino short, and boat shoes. A relaxed but somehow also very classy outfit.

"So, not that I'm decent, what now?" Marty asked, as he started working on rolling up the sleeves of the button up, which seemed to catch the attention of the female agent. He smiled inwardly, remembering the seriousness of the situation.

"Now we take you to a secure location until we can guarantee your safety." He was told matter-of-factly by the smaller of the two male agents.

"Let's go then," was the reply, gesturing towards the front door. As he did, he realized that the two agents had been inside his house when he returned to it, but not quite sure how. He decided to push the thought to the back of his head, for now.

...

The drive back from Malibu had been a silent one. After the first bombardment of questions, the team leader had explained that they would inform him of everything once they had arrived at their destination, not wanting to lose focus of any possible tails or dangers.

"So this is where the cool kids hang out." He exclaimed as he entered the boatshed.

"This is where you'll be staying until we determine the threat level, and whether or not you will need to be moved to a safe house." The agent who had reintroduced himself as Callen, told him.

"And how long do you expect that to take?" Marty asked, genuinely curious and concerned since his life could, once again, be in danger and were as of right now put on hold until he knew more about the whole situation.

As the agent was about to answer, he was interrupted by his phone ringing. "Hey Eric, what do you got?" He listened for a while, and then thanked the man on the other end before motioning to the bigger agent, Hanna, if he recalled correctly.

"Sam, Eric have a potential location on Bakaj and Young." Sam nodded and went towards the door and car once again, Kensi went behind him, but Callen stopped her by raising his hand. "Need you to stay here with Deeks, we don't have time for us all to wait for a protective detail to arrive, so you're up."

Judging by the facial expression of the female agent, Marty assumed that she was not used to being sidelined with the _lesser_ tasks. "Right", the confirmation followed by an exaggerated sigh, confirming that she did indeed not appreciate not going after whoever it was they were going for.

The leader left the building behind the other agent and disappeared from sight.

"I'm sorry you're not out there doing… whatever it was you were about to do." He said apologetically.

"It's okay," she reassured him. Her stature and voice softened at his excuse, "You don't have anything to apologize for, your safety is important."

"So exactly _how_ is my safety in jeopardy?"

She sighed once more, this time much more softly, and motioned towards the couches in the room. Marty followed her lead, and they sat down opposite of each other. Kensi started explaining the whole situation, starting with the flash drive in his vehicle from the week prior and ended with the realization she had in the bullpen earlier that day.

Slightly shaken by all this information, he took a moment to collect his thoughts.

"Thank you," he looked at her, appreciation clear in both his voice and eyes, "For everything really, for staying with me at the hospital last week and staying with me now."

She shrugged her shoulders and answered non-committedly "I'm sure you would have done the same."

"I would." He said, looking into his mismatched eyes. Looking right back into his blue orbs, she could see nothing but sincerity and appreciation. There was that feeling again. A feeling that she had not noticed nor felt for a very long time. She allowed herself to smile as they sat in comfortable silence looking at each other for a few minutes.

Of course, it was Marty who broke the silence first, a smile now hinting at the corners of his mouth. "You know this doesn't get you out of making that call I'm expecting, right?" He teased her.

It took a while before Kensi snapped out of her reverie and registered what had been said. She looked at him, a teasing smile and gleaming eyes, "I'm kind of glad it doesn't."


	10. Safe?

**Chapter 10: Safe?**

Having left their female teammate back at the boatshed, Callen and Sam made their way towards the address Eric had sent to their phones. For once they made surprisingly good time in the traffic and arrived much earlier than anticipated, which was only a good thing considering they did not know what state Young would be in, if he was even there.

The neighbourhood was an old run down district, with loads of ramshackled properties, several of the wooden decks on buildings were in various degrees of rotting and decay. The few lots without houses, were sprinkled with crooked, rusty tin-sheds and fences. It was clear that this had once been an average neighbourhood, but had now deteriorated into something that could easily resemble some post apocalyptic scenery.

The two agents exited the vehicle further up the street to ensure they would stay out of sight before breaching the building. They quickly put on the bulletproof vests as they had many times previously. Once they had ensured that the vests were on properly, they started making their way towards the decaying house.

Standing by the front door, Callen started retrieving his lock picking kit that he would always carry with him on missions. As he began putting pressure on the lock, the agents could hear shuffling from inside the house. Within seconds of hearing the noise from inside, Callen was diving to the ground attempting to dodge the hail of bullets now raining through the door he had attempted to unlock.

Sam, who had been standing slightly off to the side to give him teammate some room to work, was in a safer position behind the sturdier wall rather than the rotting, wooden door. Crouching down and grabbing Callen's shirt, he dragged him away from the immediate danger of being in front of the entrance, now filled with holes.

Taking a short moment to regain his composure, Callen stood up and hugged the wall next to Sam, padding him twice on the chest as a silent 'thank you'. Looking at each other they silently discussed how to go about dealing with the predicament in which they found themselves. Callen's eyes flickered towards the side of the house, and Sam immediately understood what his partner wanted him to do. The ex-SEAL moved towards the back of the house to ensure multiple points of entry, which would hopefully give them the edge, since the intel they had only led them to believe that there was only a single assailant inside the house.

After a few moments to allow his teammate to get into position, Callen kicked in the front door. The action rewarded him with another volley of bullets in his general direction. Already cautious that this would be the result of forcing the door open, Callen had pre-emptively taken refuge behind the solid wall once more. The suspect stopped firing his automatic weapon, presumably to reload. Knowing that Sam was going to enter silently from the back whilst Callen was causing a distraction in the front, he saw no reason to risk confirming his theory regarding the reload.

The team lead was about to peek the front door to act as a distraction once more, when he heard his teammate yell from within.

"Federal agents, drop the weapon!"

Taking the command as his cue, Callen rushed into the house to back up his partner, the suspect quickly swinging around, aiming the weapon at him. A loud crack sounded the house. The man went down, Sam having used his training, shooting the armed assailant in the shoulder to both keep him and his partner safe whilst keeping the suspect alive for questioning later. Moving quickly, Callen stepped in, swiping away the uzi, thus securing the immediate area.

Callen knelt down and started searching for other weapons on his persona, grabbing his phone, roughly handling him, showing no form of sympathy for the man lying, groaning on the floor. Finding no weapons he cuffed the man and stood up. He called Eric to arrange an ambulance. As he did that, Sam searched the rest of the house looking for Young.

"G. In here!" A yell sounded from somewhere else in the house.

He stepped into a room that at one point must have been a bedroom. An unconscious man lying on the floor, Sam crouched next to him checking for a pulse. Finding one the large agent nodded to the team lead, who promptly picked up his phone to call Eric for a second ambulance. No doubts in either of their minds that the first one arriving would be going to the senseless form of Young.

...

After the second, very uncharacteristic declaration of excitement towards a date coming from agent Kensi Blye, the room had fallen quiet. Both people present content with looking into each others eyes, finding nothing but sincerity and wanting, Marty let a smile shine through on his face, bringing up a warm and fuzzy feeling in the pit of Kensi's stomach.

Not sure how long they had been sitting in comfortable silence, Marty, of course, was the first to break the silence, and soon after they were talking freely about everything and nothing. The conversation was flowing nicely, as if it was one between age-old friends catching up. Kensi had even found herself asking mundane questions that she usually did not care to know about her dates, such as his hobbies and work life. Somehow they both seemed to know to stay away from deeper topics regarding their past and families.

She had found herself laughing a lot more than she usually would with people whom she did not know well, or anyone really. That was the sound that permeated through the boatshed as Callen and Sam returned from the hospital with Bakaj in tow. They halted for a moment, the unusual sound of their female co-worker's laughter taking them by surprise. Deciding not to embarrass her too much, Sam closed the door hard, so it could be heard clearly, giving her time to regain the composure of her usual tough exterior.

Marty noticed the immediate change in the demeanor in the female agent, which he found he had a really good time chatting with, especially considering the circumstances and the fact that she technically was his protective detail right now. He lifted one of his eyebrows and looked questionably at her.

Taken aback by the fact that he, once again, had been able to read her body language like an open book she shook her head, letting him know to let it go for now. Happy that she was able to wordlessly communicate her intent, he pressed his lip into a tight line but nodded, letting her know he had understood her flawlessly, in return she flashed him a shy smile as thanks.

The silent interaction between the two went unnoticed as Sam pushed the suspect, who was now confirmed through facial recognition to be Bakaj, into the interrogation room. Callen veered off and went to the two, now silent, people sitting in the couch and chair.

"I see everything went well?" Kensi half-asked, half-stated to the team lead.

"Yeah. Young had been drugged but the paramedics assured us it was just a sedative to keep him under control. I think Bakaj got the information from him that he wanted, but we'll have to wait for the Wonder Twins to get something from his phone and computer."

"So how did it go down?" Kensi asked, momentarily forgetting that Marty was in the room. Callen did not seem to mind the civilian present, after all, he had already seen their team in action when they came to his rescue not that long ago. Marty listened intently to the short briefing from the agent, impressed by the detail and reasoning behind how they had approached the situation.

When Callen was finished talking, Marty cleared his throat and asked, "So uhm… that was the guy who was supposedly after me as well, right?"

Sensing his uncomfortable state and also what seemed to be a tinge of fear, Kensi tried calming him, "Yes, but… we're not even sure he _was_ after you."

"But you suspect it," he reasoned.

She sighed, feeling bad for the man she had yet to go on a date with. Deciding the truth would be the best way to go about this, she nodded and answered his question, "We do."

He slowly exhaled through puffed cheeks before asking, "Okay. So… what do I do now then?"

"Now we see what we can get out of this guy," Callen interrupted, "And if we find that he _was_ after you, we'll see if he was alone to ensure your safety."

Not entirely grateful that this was what was happening, but knowing that he did not have any real say in any of it, Marty merely nodded at what he suspected to be the leader of Kensi's team. The shorthaired agent turned around and went down the same corridor that his larger partner had previously, presumably to interrogate the man they had just brought in.

The room fell silent once more, Kensi found herself wanting to comfort the injured lawyer, but did not know how. She could not tell him that it was not a big deal, because, as his plethora of still healing bruises proved, it was a potentially very real threat. Finally settling on using her own way of finding comfort to hopefully help lighten the mood, she stood up, "C'mon let's go."

He looked at her quizzically, after all the other agent had just told him, that they did not know for sure whether or not he was still in actual danger. "Where are we-"

"Food!" She interrupted. He chuckled at her antics, and she was glad that she was able to lighten the mood, even if only momentarily.

She quickly sent a text to Callen and into OPS, stating they would be going to one of the nearby food trucks, letting them know their location. Marty was right on her heels, moving as quickly as he could without agitating his still healing ribs, and together they went out of the boatshed and towards her vehicle.

After the less than two minute drive they found themselves having to choose between three different food trucks. Kensi seemed unable to pick one and Marty found that he would be contempt with whatever the female agent would eventually pick. She ended up finally settling on chicken and beef wraps, seeing as they were, not only very tasty according to her, but also the easiest of the options to transport back to the boatshed without making a mess.

Just as they entered the boatshed again, the two agents, Callen and Hanna, came rushing out of the interrogation room, when they realised that their fellow agent and the lawyer in protective custody stood before them they visibly relaxed.

Marty just looked perplexed at Kensi searching for answers, when he received none, he got a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was not right.


	11. Accused

**A/N: It seems that I'm spoiling you! A fast (and longer!) update to the story. The idea was just stuck in my head, begging to be written and shared. Hopefully you'll enjoy! As always really appreciative for all the support and reviews!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Accused**

"What's going on?" Kensi asked, accidentally letting some of the worry she felt for the lawyer slip through.

When no immediate answer followed her question, she subconsciously took a step forward, effectively stepping in front of Marty ever so slightly in a protective manner, as she asked harsher than before, "What the hell is going on?"

Catching on to the, surprisingly, protective nature Kensi showed towards the lawyer, Callen knew she would not take the following information lightly, he sighed deeply before speaking. "Kensi you need to step away from Deeks." He immediately pushed on when he saw that Kensi was about to speak up, holding up a hand to stop her from interrupting. "Bakaj gave us some information, and we need to ask him a few questions… in the other interrogation room." He added the last bit carefully, knowing what kind of reaction it would pry from their female coworker.

"What the hell are you talking about?" She practically all but yelled, "He is a _victim_ , Callen!" She spat out his name more venomously than he had previously ever heard, causing the team lead to flinch inwardly.

Sam tried to calm the female agent down before this derailed conversation turned into a train wreck. "We just need to clarify a few things, he's not a suspect Kensi." He tried soothing, knowing fully well that she did not buy it, since Callen had requested him in the interrogation room.

Whilst the internal fighting was going on amongst the three agents, Marty found himself staring straight ahead, mouth slightly agape. The whole look would probably have been quite comical in any other situation than what he currently found himself in. He finally got his senses back as the large black agent was attempting to calm the female agent.

Somehow able to telegraph that she was about to lash out verbally in his defense once more, he laid a hand carefully on her shoulder, not wanting to startle her any more.

"It's okay, Kens. I'm sure it's nothing," he said calmly. Discerning that it had not completely helped, he decided to add to it, "I haven't done anything wrong, I'm sure." The statement coupled with a nervous smile.

Looking straight at him, she could see the sincerity shining through in his gorgeous ocean blue eyes, but looking further she could see a slight hint of something else she could not quite pinpoint it to an exact emotion. She dragged herself away from the somehow very emotional moment, and glared at her team's leader once again.

"Fine. But I want to be in there as well." The tone in her voice making sure there would be no room to argue.

Knowing that Kensi would be in the same room as him helped calm the brewing nervousness he felt deep inside him as they were moving towards a room he had not previously even registered. He knew that he had done absolutely nothing wrong, but given his troublesome past, he feared that the agents now sitting across from him would drag some of those things back to the surface, and he did not want that in the slightest. Not for him, because he had buried it so deep inside himself in an attempt to forget it all happened, but also not for Kensi, because he did not want her to have a skewed view of him before even getting to take her out.

"So…" the blue-eyed agent started, effectively dragging Marty out of his thoughts and back to the present, sitting across the table from three federal agents. "We talked to Bakaj and-"

"Who?" Marty interrupted, not knowing who this 'Bakaj' person was, but also intentionally wanting to throw of the ones interrogating him, old habits die hard. He kicked himself mentally for that last part, he was supposed to help clear something up, not put himself in a bad light.

"Bakaj is the guy who was supposedly the one after you." Callen stated calmly.

"What do you mean _supposedly_?" Being a lawyer, Marty knew all too well how tricky words like allegedly and supposedly could help paint an entirely different picture than what the defendant wanted.

"He told us he had convinced you to work with him to avoid any further beatings." Sam invited himself into the mix.

"That's redicu-" Kensi started, but was interrupted by Marty lifting a single finger in her direction, effectively signaling her to be quiet for now.

"And you believed him?" He chuckled humorlessly, "A guy who you've _just_ picked up for _having abducted_ another person, and you're questioning me because of wild accusations from a character like that?"

A silence took over the now eerie room. Somehow, the two accusers had not expected the shaggy and injured lawyer to stand up for himself in such an aggressive manner.

Knowing he had the upper hand, at least for the moment, he continued, "Do you have anything to base these _supposed_ things I've _supposedly_ done?" Making sure to put pressure on the word the agent had used himself just a minute ago.

"You've been going to Reseda a few times this week." Callen answered.

"Many people go to Reseda," he countered.

"What were you doing there?" Callen questioned, choosing to ignore the small jab he had received.

Kensi was glad that she had Sam between her and Callen, because she could feel her anger towards the team lead increase every time a question was asked. In an attempt to ignore the anger, she tried to focus on how well Marty was defending himself, the way he articulated his phrases, playing ball with Callen and Sam and coming out ahead, at least for now. Almost as if he had tried this whole thing before… she pushed back that thought immediately. He could not have been interrogated like this before, because that could mean that he had been involved in something he should not have been, no, he was a good man and he responded well because he was a lawyer, yes that must be it, she reasoned.

"I went to the local youth center there," he stated firmly.

"Even though you're injured?" Sam asked, joining in again, knowing that if only Callen was asking the questions all of Kensi's anger would be focused solely on him, so he decided to divert some of the anger he knew was brewing in Kensi to himself.

"Yes."

Sam asked a clarifying question, when it became clear that the lawyer was not going to make it easier for the agents and add further to his one word answer, "And what were you doing at the youth center?"

"I was playing video games and chatting with some of the young people from the neighborhood."

The three sitting across from him looked quizzically at him, but knowing from the previous question, that he would not elaborate further without being asked directly, Kensi gave in. Asking in a much softer tone than her fellow agents.

"Do you do that often?" She asked, before adding, "And why?" In an equally soft tone.

Marty appreciated the way the female agent asked him much more than the accusatory manner that her colleagues displayed, he let her know through a small, shy smile, before turning back to his unreadable façade. He sighed and answered, "I aim to go twice a week, usually I like to play basketball with them, have been for the last five'ish years."

"And why?" The largest agent asked him, only slightly harsher than Kensi had this time.

"I've been fortunate in my life," he started, it took all of his self-control not to laugh out loud at that statement, his life had been many things, but fortunate was definitely _not_ one of the verbs that could describe the story of Marty Deeks. Controlling his emotions, he then added, "The least I can do is give back to the community."

"But you live in Malibu," Kensi stated, genuinely curious about why he would go to Reseda for anything.

"Sure, but everyone comes from somewhere." He shrugged.

"And you come from Reseda."

Although it was a statement, he answered anyways, "I do."

"So you haven't met up with anyone outside of the youth center last week?" Callen was now back to asking the judging questions.

"No." He answered clearly.

"How did you get there?" The agent continued the line of questions, seemingly looking for any cracks in the story.

"Well," he said motioning to his torso, "It's not like I can drive. Therefore, I have had an Uber take me, both times. Would you like to see the electronic receipts for that?" He asked back.

"So you're denying seeing Bakaj or anyone else in Reseda in relation to your work?"

"Seeing as I had no clue who this Bakaj was until you told me a moment ago, that would be a _yes_." He now responded a bit more disrespectfully, letting the agent know exactly _how_ he felt about that line of questioning.

Just as he was about to ask another question, Callen's phone chimed. He excused himself from the room and Sam followed close behind, knowing that Kensi would want a moment alone with the man sitting opposite of her.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly.

He actually laughed at her question, nothing condescending, just a slight comedic relief. After all, she did not know that he had been in positions like this many, many times before. Granted, defending someone else and not himself, but if one ignored that tiny detail it was practically the same.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Kens."

This time she noticed how he had shorted her name, surprisingly unlike anyone else ever. She found that she liked the way that her newfound nickname rolled off his tongue, and let herself delve into that feeling for just a moment until she sobered and remembered how well he had presented himself in front of the trained interrogators.

"You've done this before." It was not a question, and they both knew what she meant.

"I have." He nodded his confirmation.

"Have you ever-"

"No!" He interrupted, then chuckling slightly. He knew she had been about to ask whether he had ever been interrogated for any crimes before, and whilst that was technically true it had been a very long time ago and not the reason as to how he as faring so well in this environment.

"I used to be a criminal defense lawyer." He explained.

She looked at him, eyebrows lowered and slightly squinted eyes, "I thought you were an IP lawyer?" She asked.

"I am," he confirmed, "I re-specialized six years ago."

"Why?" She asked. Once again, there was no judgement in her tone, just honest curiosity.

He shrugged before answering, "I guess I got tired of helping wealthy clients get out of crimes they'd committed."

She was just about to further enquire Marty about his reasonings when the door to the room opened. Callen and Sam walked in both having a grim expression painted on their faces. They sat down in the same chairs as before and the team lead got straight to business.

"Have you ever committed any crimes before?" He asked.

The first response he got was a disbelieving, lifted eyebrow from the lawyer, followed by a condescending question, "Do you _really_ think I would ever incriminate myself?"

"Have you ever committed any _violent_ crimes before?" The team lead corrected.

"No." The answer came immediately and was _technically_ correct.

"So you've never _shot_ anyone?" Callen enquired, knowing well that the lawyer had indeed based off the information Eric had given him and Sam over the phone.

Marty instantly sat up completely straight as the question was asked, his lips in a tight line as he tried to reel in his emotions. Kensi was studying him intently, the question Callen had asked had surprised her and by the brief look he flashed, Marty as well. She could tell from the Callen's voice and Marty's expression that the man sitting across from her had, indeed, discharged his weapon at someone before, how and why she did not know. What she did know was that she believed him to be a good man, no matter this information.

"How do you know that?" He asked, every ounce of his body fighting off the impending rage that subsided.

"From your files," Callen answered not entirely truthful, seeing as he did not exactly know where and how Eric had procured the information.

Marty, however, knew exactly where the _only_ place that information was available. He had attempted to control his emotions, but when someone crosses a line, it can be difficult to do and in this case impossible. He was not angry, he was _pissed_ , and Kensi could tell the moment his mask fell from his face and rage emerged with what she deemed to be… anguish? To his credit, he did not raise his voice, but the way he spoke with such toxicity and vehemence scared her. He was almost shaking as he started talking,

" _That_ … is privileged information that you have _no_ business looking into, and seeing as it's been sealed in a juve court, which I'm guessing you did _not_ have a warrant for." He spat at them, Callen was about to talk but Marty continued before he had the chance, "Seeing as how you have _violated_ my privacy and unlawfully gotten information this interview is _over_. Unless you actually have some completely irrelevant information that _isn't_ inadmissible in court."

When he got no immediate response he stood up, fury still raged inside him, and it showed. "I'll show myself out." He said, anger lacing every word in the sentence. Callen and Sam just sat, dumbfounded by what had just happened in front of them. Kensi, on the other hand, was extremely worried about what had just happened and went to go after Marty.

"Marty wait!" She called after him as she got out of the boatshed. Knowing his condition, she knew it was extremely painful for him to move at the pace he was currently.

He stopped but did not make any effort to turn around and face her. She walked slowly to his side and then into his field of vision.

"I'm so, so sorry about what happened. I swear to God, I had no idea what was going on," she said softly but firmly, concern and sincerity evident in her voice. She reached for him, happy that he did not pull back as she let her hands settle on his arms, she felt him shaking beneath her touch, anger still completely overtaken his body.

He took a deep breath trying to calm himself, but immediately regretted that when further pain in his ribs made him remember how bad an idea that was. He focused on breathing regularly instead, exhaling through puffed cheeks with each breath, letting her touch and the sounds of the ocean calm him.

"I know," he finally said under his breath, referring to her not knowing what had been going on.

She allowed herself a small smile at that, knowing that he did not blame her for whatever had just happened in that room. Taking a moment to stare into his eyes, she saw that whilst the anger and rage had mostly subsided the anguish which she had seen previously had now mostly overtaken his eyes, now glistening from unshed tears.

Remembering why he had been in the boatshed in the first place, she drew in a quick breath before talking.

"You might still be in danger, Marty." She said softly, her mismatched eyes now misty from the unshed tears she felt for the man in front of her.

"I can't go back in there." He said underneath his breath.

"Do you want me to take you to another safe house?" She asked, internally begging that his answer would be 'yes'.

"No." He shook his head, "I think I have a safe place to go to." He then added.

"Where?" She immediately asked, concern lacing her word.

"A friend of mine, he has a really safe property. Besides, if no one knows I'm there and if I don't use a phone I should be alright, right?" He asked quietly, somehow knowing that she would feel better if she could give her approval to his plan.

She could not find any words, but nodded at his suggestions, it sounded secure, and she knew she could trust him to not toy with his own safety even through his anguished stupor.

"Can you do me a favor?" He asked softly, once he realized that she would not verbally respond to his previous inquiry.

"Anything!" She answered immediately. Surprised that she actually meant every sense of that word.

"You remember my dog?"

"Monty?"

"Yeah," he nodded, now smiling slightly at her remembering his companion's name, "Would you mind taking him to my neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Mayfair, I think you've already met them last time…" He let the end hanging in the air. Of course, they both could remember the last time she had had to take his mangy mutt to his next-door neighbors.

"Of course," she answered, matching his soft tone.

He ducked down and kissed her softly on her cheek, "Thank you, Kens," he started turning away from her, but stopped halfway, "I'll still be waiting for that phone call in a few weeks." He said, winking at her as he turned around completely to catch a cab to wherever he was headed.

Kensi just stood in the parking lot, flabbergasted at his proclamation. He _still_ wanted to see her. She was happy over the fact that whatever _thing_ was between them was still alive, confused that he had apparently discharged his weapon at someone, but mostly just very worried by the fact that he could still be in danger. She would just have to trust that he knew what he was doing. She sighed heavily before turning towards the boatshed. She had some words for the two male agents inside.


	12. Upset

**Chapter 12: Upset**

Usually he would be talking the ears off any Uber driver who was chauffeuring him, but right now, he welcomed the silence. He appreciated the driver turning off the radio when he had kindly requested it, just listening to the traffic around him and nothing else allowed Marty to anchor himself, reeling his feelings in once more.

He had been so lost in thoughts that he only responded the third time the driver was telling him that they had reached their destination. He shook his head quickly, attempting to clear his jumbled thoughts. He thanked the cab driver and got out the vehicle, making sure to tip.

He started walking the long driveway leading towards the enormous white building in front of him. Seeing as he had turned off his phone and removed the battery, he had not had a chance to call in advance. Honestly, he was not sure if removing the battery was necessary, but they did it in all the movies so there must be some reasoning to it, he thought to himself.

As the door in front of him opened, a man that could rival the dark skinned agent, he had just seen, in size stood in front of him. Obviously the security detail of the day, although Marty knew many of the bodyguards his friend had through the years, he had not met this one.

"Hey man, I'm here to see Kip." He greeted, holding out his hand to meet him properly. Marty had a thing about shaking hands, it showed that one respected the other and could help create an instant bond. Although not always, he knew all too well the disdained handshakes he had given to prosecutors, board members, and other stuck up people throughout his career.

"Is he expecting you?" The man's gruff voice asked, making no attempt to reply to the outstretched hand.

Marty sighed, he respected people in the protection industry, but always disliked when their seriousness for their craft was combined with an authoritarian rudeness.

"Would you please tell him that Marty is here to see him?" He asked kindly.

As the man guarding the door turned around to go look for permission for the shaggy, half-beaten man to enter, a voice rang from inside the mansion.

"Marty Mar!" A tall, dark, muscled, and… bare chested man, stepped into his field of vision.

Taking this as his permission, he could not help but shoot a smug look towards the man who had prevented him from entering, walking straight past him and towards his old friend. The same greeting as always followed, a stretched high-five and then leaning into one another for a quick 'bro hug' and slap on the back.

"Long time no see, brother! How've you be-" the man cut himself off when he saw the bruises still present, albeit faded. "What the hell happened to you?" He demanded information, obviously worried about his friend.

"How about a beer first?" He suggested, knowing the calming effect it would have on him, but also knowing that a little liquid courage would make explaining what happened at his house last week and at that boatshed looking building today a lot easier.

The next hour and a half went by with Marty explaining everything from when he was assaulted in his own home, to the interrogation in the boatshed where old emotional wounds had been torn open again. He did not have to go into detail or explain why being reminded that he had fired a weapon was such a painful memory, Kip was one of only two people he had ever told about that.

As he finished explaining the whole ordeal, he felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Even though he was used to handle the majority of his problems on his own, he could not deny the cathartic effect airing his thoughts had.

There were only less than a handful of people in the World, in which he would ever feel comfortable enough to let that close. Luckily, one of those people was sitting right next to him.

Kip had for the most part stayed quiet, letting his best friend unload all of the emotional distress he had built up. When it became clear that he was finished unloading his burden, Kip spoke up.

"Are they sure that Bak-dude-whatever, was the last threat to you?" Concern and protectiveness evident in his voice.

Marty shrugged, "They aren't completely sure," he responded, referring to the NCIS agents he had the 'pleasure' of meeting. Of course, only one of the meetings had been pleasurable, he thought.

Kip knew that he had come here for another reason than just being able to clear his mind, he felt safe here, felt secure around his best friend. "So you came here to be safe," he stated.

Marty looked embarrassed at the admittance his friend made on his behalf, but tried to put on a brave smile as if asking for permission.

"You know you're always welcome here, Marty." His friend soothed, and nodded towards the big guy now standing by the kitchen island, "I'mma have George call his company and issue a few more people here until we know for certain you're safe."

"Thanks Kip, really do appreciate it." He said, his voice gaining more strength feeling the safety that being at his best friends estate gave.

"That's what family is for, brother." He assured, patting the man sitting next to him on the back, now being a bit gentler, since he had knowledge of all the injuries the man next to him had.

Across the city of Los Angeles, a very angry special agent was striding back towards the building she had previously just left.

As hurricane Kensi entered the building, she could hear the conversation between her coworkers instantly come to a halt. When she entered the main room, Sam and Callen were standing next to each other, Callen defensively holding op his hands as if she was wielding a weapon.

"Before you say anything, we've just talked it over, and we were in the wrong." He started, softer than he would usually.

"Damn right you were!" She hissed back, before he had a chance to continue.

This time the team lead actually visibly flinched at the anger laced words. "Look, we needed to be sure that he hadn't shared any information with Bakaj or anyone else in The Facilitators who might be in LA." He took a break to catch his breath, "I... we… obviously went around it the wrong way."

"You _think_?" She spat rhetorically.

Callen took a deep breath, the whole situation had affected their female team member more than he could have imagined, not quite sure why she and the lawyer had already connected like that. She obviously felt protective of him, even dating back to last week when she went with him to the hospital ensuring he was all right.

Luckily, his partner stepped in, trying to calm his friend.

"Kensi, we overreacted, we know that now." She was about to make another snarky comment but decided against it, attempting to reel in her immediate disdain for the two standing across from her, but knowing that this situation would be affecting the atmosphere on the team for quite a while.

"…and we'd like to apologize for it. We were concerned because you'd gone out to get food with him alone, and if he'd been working with Bakaj…" he let the end of his sentence drift off, knowing he had explained the reasoning behind their strong reaction.

"I can take care of myself." She stated coldly. Feeling somewhat better that the team was just trying to have her back, but still outraged by the way they had gone about it.

"We know you are, Kensi," Callen now joining back into the conversation, "But we also look after each other. And we are sorry."

"It's not me you need to apologize to." She huffed, but pleased nonetheless, that they actually _had_ felt the need to atone to her.

Her two other team members both sighed deeply, they had screwed up and was now feeling the wrath of Kensi Blye, whose glare presently could bring most people to their knees.

"Where is he?" Sam cracked. He knew that the best possible course of action currently was to accept and agree with everything their female teammate was currently demanding of them.

She shrugged, "I don't know." Both Callen and Sam looked astonished at her, how could she have such a drastic reaction to what had happened and then _not_ know where he was. "He didn't want to have anything to do with us anymore," she started again, knowing her statement was mostly true, "Said he was going somewhere safe, to a friend."

"And you let him?" The team leader asked incredulously before he had time to think about what he was saying.

"It's not like we could forcibly keep him here, _right_?" She snapped, "And _you two_ didn't really make him feel like he was safe here either!" And there was. The reason she was furious she had tried to keep herself from realizing. She was no longer able to safeguard the injured lawyer, whom she had come to care about.

Kensi removed herself from the boatshed before she got any response to her accusations, not wanting to hear their response, not sure if she could keep herself from spewing any more insults towards her colleagues. She was going back to OPS to update them as to what information Callen and Sam had gotten, but also to see if Eric could see where Marty was currently.

Just before walking through the automatic doors she stopped herself to breathe deeply a few times, just because she was angry with the two male agents, did not mean she should transfer any of that aggression out on the technical operator or analyst.

"Ms. Blye," Kensi visibly startled at the sound of the operations manager's voice behind her, "Would you mind joining me for a cup of tea?"

When the Kensi finally registered what had been said, Hetty was halfway down the stairs already, giving the female agent no chance to decline the extended offer of tea. She gave one last look at the door in front of her, before turning her back to it, heading down the stairs and after the tiny woman.

"Please have a seat," she offered, gesturing towards the empty chair across from her, "I have made some calming chrysanthemum tea. It was one I used to drink with George Hamilton from time to time."

Kensi knew better than to decline the hot beverage already poured in front of her, deciding that anything calming sounded pretty good right about now, she tried a tentative sip. Finding out that, for once, the offered tea was not trying to kill her, she grabbed the cup with both hands, showing the operations manager that she appreciated her gesture.

"I understand that there has been some… disagreements between you and your colleagues." She stated calmly.

Kensi knowing fully well that the tiny woman sitting in front of her knew _exactly_ what had happened, she somehow always did. Deciding that the truth and her honest opinion would be most appreciated, besides, she was incapable of lying to her boss for the most part anyways. She nodded and spoke up.

"They rushed to conclusions, offending the protectee and effectively driving him away from us. Potentially placing him in danger once more."

Hetty studied the younger woman, it had not slipped past her that she had used uncharacteristically formal speech in her reasoning, a telltale sign that she was attempting to push down her emotions by appearing more professional than needed.

"I see," the response sounded, followed by silence and tea sipping. After what felt like forever but more realistically a few minutes, Hetty spoke up procuring an anecdote from her exciting life.

"You know… back in the seventies I was assigned as protective detail to Paul McCartney during his stay for a concert in West Berlin, since I was already there. A threat had been made on his life, but he insisted on still performing that night. And since I could hardly just stand on the stage looking sinister, I decided to play the drums during the concert, that way I could keep a close eye on him."

"You played drums at a rock concert?"

"But of course, Ms. Blye. I even fought off the assailant using my drumsticks at the intermission." She smiled crookedly at the younger agent, oh how she loved telling these stories, knowing that the younger audience would not know whether to believe them or not, although she always spoke the truth when recalling her past.

"Uhm… is there a point to the story, Hetty?" Kensi asked still chuckling from the end of the anecdote.

"My point is that if you are in charge of protecting someone, you do whatever it takes to fulfil that assignment."

Kensi looked at the older woman for a while, trying to decipher what she had been told. It suddenly clicked that Hetty had given her permission to have Eric track down Marty's location, to ensure that he was indeed safe and that her 'task' of protecting him was fulfilled.

"Thank you, Hetty." She said cheerfully, having forgotten her earlier sour mood some time during the short storytelling.

The operations manager merely lifted her cup of tea and nodded towards the stairs leading to OPS, effectively dismissing the young agent. Kensi walked briskly towards the stairs, and with renewed vigor at the permission to ease her mind, she walked through the automatic doors.

As she the doors parted, she saw Eric launch across the room in the office chair, Nell excitingly cheering as he ended up exactly at his workstation, obviously not a lot to do for them right now. She cleared her throat not so subtly, making her presence known to the two who had previous been oblivious to the sounds of the automatic doors.

"Oh, hi Kensi," the technical operator greeted her, somewhat embarrassed in being caught goofing around. Making Eric uncomfortable was something all the agents were able to do with ease.

"I thought you were in the boatshed with Callen and Sam?" Her pixie like colleague asked.

"They had a handle on it," she answered, doing her best to not let the sarcasm seep through, stopping any comments by making a request, "I need you guys to track down Marty Deeks for me."

"Wasn't he with you at the boatshed?" Nell asked, not confronting her in any way but genuinely curious and trying to understand.

"Yeah, well… he left the boatshed to be somewhere safe," she let the last word hang in the air.

"And you want to be sure it's actually safe," her female colleague summarized.

"We're on it!" The shorts wearing, blonde-haired man answered cheerily, "Did he tell you guys anything that might help find him?"

Kensi thought about the request for a minute, "He said he was going to a friend's safe property and that he would turn off his phone."

Eric nodded, smiling to his colleague, "That might help."

"Alright when you find something…" Kensi said heading for the door.

"You'll be the first to know." The team of two chimed together, knowing what she would have requested.


	13. Safety

**A/N: Thank you so much for the continuous support! Really helps to the excitement, pushing me to write even more!**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Safety**

After Eric and Nell had finished off their current task of ensuring, that no other known associates of The Facilitators had arrived at LAX within the last week, they started working on the request Kensi had made with them.

Even though he had turned off his phone the minute he had contacted an Uber, Marty Deeks had not been hard to track for the two technical geniuses. They had easily been able to hack into the servers of the car transportation app and were able to see and track the route the vehicle had driven.

Unfortunately, app did not have the capacity to save the exact data, and as such they only had the generic area in which he had gotten off his ride, one of the richer neighborhoods in Los Angeles. They had tried accessing the various security cameras from the area, but seeing as most were on private properties, and very high end, they were closed circuit, unable to be accessed by the two in the operations room.

Kensi had just saved and closed down a document on her computer, having added the finishing touched and proofread her report, when she received a text from Eric telling her they had something. Quickly she moved towards the sender of the message, taking the steps two at a time. She knew that it might be a bit of an overreaction and he was probably fine, but best-case scenario she would appease her worry and worst-case scenario she would get to the man before he was in further danger.

Nell was quick to hand over all the information they had on the current location of the injured lawyer. She was apologetic that they did not have an exact address, but Kensi assured them that she was very appreciative that they had managed to narrow it down to a single street. Being a federal agent she had knocked on more than her fair share of doors to get information, surely she would be able to do the same now, she assured her tiny coworker, consciously being extra nice as to not let her annoyance with Sam and Callen rub off on her other coworkers.

Armed with the street name, Kensi made her way back downstairs to the empty bullpen once more. Callen and Sam were still at the boatshed interrogating Bakaj and the fourth desk still sat empty, as there currently was no temporary agent assigned to them. She grabbed the stuff from her desk that she needed and made her way to Hetty's office, wanting to make sure she was okay with Kensi going to make sure Marty was safe and that she had not misinterpreted the previous conversation they had had.

Hetty assured her that she always meant what she said, and shooed Kensi out of the OSP, telling her that she was to head home after having ensured that Mr. Deeks was provided with an adequate level of security. Not having to be told that twice, she thanked the operations manager, grabbed the rest of her stuff off her table, and made her way outside the Spanish mission. She got into her Cadillac and typed the address she had been given into the integrated GPS system before pulling out into the LA traffic.

...

The fifteen minutes following after their female coworker and friend had left the building was spent talking about different ways they could, and probably should, have approached the whole situation concerning the potential involvement of the lawyer. When they agreed on how a more _tactful_ approach would have been preferable, they started discussing how to approach the third member of their team, fully well knowing that they still had a lot of apologizing to her, and probably mending of fences in regards to the lawyer.

When they finished airing and analyzing all their different thoughts in regards to what had just happened they made their way back into interrogation room one, where the Eastern European criminal was still sitting idle.

After another hour spent with Bakaj, the team of two were certain that they had gotten every piece of information that he could give. After having shot down his lies regarding the involvement of the lawyer, they started getting some information. Tricking the cocky Bakaj to spew information as he tried to prove how strong and much more intelligent he was than the two lowly agents sitting across from him. He was obviously used to dealing with law enforcement back home, where the remaining members of The Facilitators easily backed his threats and bribes.

Before leaving the boatshed, they once more handed over custody of the criminal to the CIA, whom had sent two agents to collect the prisoner to transport him to only God knows where, with a promise to contact NCIS if they found any evidence that further members of his group had entered the country. Thanking Sam and Callen for their cooperation, the two spooks left the boatshed in a dark sedan without any license plate.

After watching the dark sedan leaving, the two got into Sam's Charger and made way towards their home base. As they drove, they mentally prepared themselves for going another round with their furious friend. They once again debated which arguments they would use to better explain their reasonings, as well as how they could let her know how regretful they were of their handling of the situation.

They arrived back at the bullpen only to find it empty and with Kensi's stuff already missing signaling to them, that she had already left for the day. They grew increasingly concerned, since it was extremely unlike the female agent to leave when they were still working an active case. Callen made his way towards his boss to ask where their friend currently was, but she was having a heated argument with someone on the phone, so he returned to the bullpen without answers.

A few minutes of silence later had Sam suggest that they go upstairs to brief Eric and Nell and see what they had uncovered. After a quick briefing, Nell told the two, that Kensi had gone to find Marty's whereabouts. Both Callen and Sam sighed at the information, realizing that this meant their argument in the boatshed and the following negative atmosphere would have further time to fester.

...

Kensi had spent the last thirty-five minutes going door to door in the extravagant neighborhood, but to no avail. No one around seemed to know the captivating lawyer and with only a few houses left to try she was finding it increasingly hard to stay optimistic.

Walking up the long gravel driveway towards what seemed to be the grandest of all the mansions on the road, a tall, modernistic estate that could rival any. She knocked on the door and a large African-American man opened almost instantly, Kensi instantly aware that the man was carrying a weapon and was probably the security at the estate.

"Can I help you?" The man asked in a gruff voice.

"Yes, I am special agent Kensi Blye from NCIS," she paused to find her credentials to show, "I'm looking for a Marty Deeks, do you know if he is at this property?"

She could tell that she was at the right place by the way the man subtly glanced back at the house. It seemed like the large man was unsure if he should give out that information, which would usually annoy her to no end, but in this case, she actually appreciated it, seeing as the hesitation added to the protection of the lawyer, seeing as how Marty might still be at risk.

"Let me go ask the owner if he knows," the man excused himself and closed the door softly.

Kensi took a deep breath, unsure if the door would be reopened, but knew that if it was not she would probably find some other way to gain entrance anyways, whether through flashing her badge around more aggressively or something else she did not have the time to think about before the door opened once again.

This time a much more athletic man stood in front of her, one that she recognized very well, and being a basketball fanatic how could she not. Standing in front of her was the leading scorer in the NBA, Kip Brigham.

"What can I do for ya?" He asked in the voice she recognized from the various interviews she had seen with him over the years.

"Hi, uhm," she stumbled slightly, still taken aback by the shock that she was standing in front of one of her favorite players, "I'm looking for Marty Deeks, I'm with NCIS." She showed her credentials once more.

The warm tone in the man's voice instantly disappeared to one resembling disgust, "I see."

Kensi sighed deeply, obviously he had been told what had happened at the boatshed to have such a reaction to an agency that most people had never even heard off.

"Look, I know he's in here," she stated as calmly and softly as her mood would allow, "And I would really like to see him, could you ask…" her voice trembled slightly, it was unintentional but helped give the impression that she actually cared about the man, which was true after all. "Could you ask if he wants to see a Kensi Blye, please?"

Kip took a moment to study the face of the woman in front of him, she actually seemed apologetic about the whole scenario. Add to that the fact that she had made no demands, but had just requested him to ask his best friend if he _wanted_ to see her.

He nodded slowly, "Yeah, I'll go ask him. But no funny business!" He quickly added the last part, not really a threat, but making it clear that he would let no more terribleness happen to the lawyer.

"Thank you."

The basketball star walked away from the door, leaving Kensi to her own once more, but this time the door in front of her remained open.

"Yo Marty," he said calmly as he walked towards the Jacuzzi currently inhabited by his friend, when Marty opened his eyes and looked back at him he continued, "There's someone from NCI-something at the door asking for you."

The relaxing jets of water no longer able to relax his beaten body as he visibly tensed when he heard what his friend had just said. Kip could see the anxiety seeping back into his friends' body once more, before remembering the request that the woman at the front door had made.

"She asked if you wanted to see her, no demands, no nothing. I think she said her name was Kensi Blye"

The tenseness in his shoulders and jaw left again, when he heard the name uttered, Kensi… why was she here, he wondered. Honestly not really caring about the answer, just happy that she was the one showing up and not the two other agents whom he did not want to have anything to do with.

He allowed himself a brave smile, "Sure, just let me get some clothes on and I'll be right there."

Kip left his friend to dry off and get clothed as he went back to the front door to agent Blye.

As he appeared in front of Kensi once more, the smile he was wearing when he had first seen her had left for a more sour expression. She got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach seeing his expression, but he then stood aside, gesticulating for her to enter his home, "He's willing to see you."

"Thank you very much," she replied, walking into the beautiful home.

Kip led her towards an extravagant seating area full of vibrant colors. Each couch or lounge chair a different nuance of a rainbow. She took the offered seat, but sat on the edge of the cushion, not allowing herself to relax in the bright red couch.

"He should be here in a second. Can I get you something to drink?" Kip offered, even though he did not think too fondly of the agent, his inner host would not allow anyone in without the offer of refreshments.

"No thank you, and thanks for allowing me a chance to talk to him." She replied, looking right at the man, hoping he would see that she meant every word of that.

He did, and gave a small smile, "Just… no pushing him, alright?" Kip requested, now almost back to his usual tone of voice, she just nodded at him unable to find words. When he got the non-verbal response, he nodded back before leaving the room.

A few minutes later the man she had come to see walked towards her, wearing a pair of sweatpants and a loose t-shirt, wet hair more unruly than usual completely unlike what his usual appearance was, which was more stylish and fashionable rather than comfortable. The look on his face was hard to decipher, but Kensi narrowed it down to something resembling doubt, hurt, and a tinge of anger.

"Hi," she said as she stood from her seat.

"Hey," he said barely above a whisper.


	14. Approved

**A/N: Thank you ALL so much for the continued support, your reviews really push me to continue to write the story faster than I otherwise would!**

 **To answer the question regarding Eric not being in trouble: I chose to compare to the TV-series, where he multiple times have hacked into various things (all illegally) with little to no repercussions, so that's what I chose here as well. Sorry if that disappoints you, but it just was not an avenue I wanted to pursue, perhaps at a later point.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Approved**

 _A few minutes later the man she had come to see walked towards her, …_ _The look on his face was hard to decipher, but Kensi narrowed it down to something resembling doubt, hurt, and a tinge of anger._

" _Hi," she said as she stood from her seat._

" _Hey," he said barely above a whisper._

"What are you doing here?" He asked not exactly friendly but not overly hostile either, seeing as he was unsure of her reasons for being here and not willing to go back to the place where his daunting memories were reawakened.

"I just, uhm…" she started unsure of how to put her thoughts into words, "I wanted to make sure you really were safe," she finally confessed bashfully.

His expression softened as he heard her admission, he had not known exactly what to expect, but this certainly was not it. He was not really used to anyone looking out for him, even though he had Kip, but being a sensational athlete he had an extremely tight schedule and would often not be home enough to pick up on any struggles his friend would endure since Marty is not one to share his struggles.

"I appreciate that," he finally admitted and smiled shyly at the agent standing in front of her.

She visibly relaxed when he uttered those words of acceptance. She had not been sure how he would have reacted seeing her again, even though he had assured her in the parking lot before leaving, that he did not hold anything against her, and was still waiting for her phone call a few weeks down the line.

"So," he chuckled slightly and gestured for her to take a seat. "Does this place's safety get the Kensi Blye stamp of approval?" He asked, trying to bring some humor back to aid his vulnerable defenses, "And before you answer, know that Kip has made a request to get a few more security guys out here for the next few weeks."

She considered his question and the information regarding additional security detail on the property. Just as Marty was about to break the silence once more she spoke up, "I think this is secure enough, just remember to have someone covering the rear entrance."

He smiled at her, she had obviously thoroughly considered every possible vulnerability of the property from what she had seen.

"That's good…" he started, not really sure how to continue, wanting to ask if there had been any updates in the case, "Uhm, do you know when uhm…"

"The minute we're sure you're no longer in danger, I'll be calling you." She assured him, somehow able to understand what he was asking.

He looked at her and she braced herself as she could see some of the regular mischief returning to his eyes, "So would that mean I'm now expecting _two_ calls from you?"

Not a lot could usually stupefy the agent, but when she once again found herself at a loss for words and fighting the rise of heat spreading to her collarbone and cheeks, she could not deny the effect that the shaggy blonde had on her.

When it became obvious that she was not planning a retort to the comment, he started chuckling slightly.

"What?" She asked loudly, but it had no bite.

Her small outburst only turned his chuckle into a proper laugh for the first time since before the attack.

"I just didn't think special agents would be the types to blush," the good-natured teasing continued.

She swiped at him playfully, "I do _not_ blush!" She tried to defend, but the smile on her face made her fail miserably.

"Of course you don't," he humored her and looked at her, obviously already expecting a glare. He was not disappointed, but much like her previous outburst, the usual gorgon stare of Kensi Blye was much mellower than usual.

She was saved from further chastising the lawyer when the basketball star was no longer able to keep his curiosity at bay and entered the room once more.

"Yo Marty, I'm 'bout to order some food, you want some?" He asked as he entered the room.

Marty just looked at him, giving him an unimpressed look at his terrible excuse to check up on him, but thankful nonetheless for looking out for him. Before he had a chance to answer the question the female agent spoke up, driven partially by the lightened atmosphere after the teasing and partially because she was so surprised by the friendship of the lawyer and the athlete.

"So… you do you guys know each other?"

"Marty Mar and I go way back. We used to play a lot of one on one," Kip started.

"I actually got him into basketball, beat him all the time" he joked.

"Yeah right," he teased back brotherly, "You were taller than me back then."

"Excuses, excuses," the lawyer fired back.

Kensi shuffled further back on the couch, allowing herself to take in the conversation happening right in front of her. It was clear that the two very different men cared a great deal about each other. She wondered how two with such contrasting careers knew each other. Obviously, she was just told that they knew each other from childhood, and knowing that Marty had actually discharged his weapon at someone when he was also still a teenager if not younger, she could try and paint a picture of how and where they might have met. She chose to leave that train of thought in the back of her head, she would have to ask Marty at some later point, perhaps when he would take her out for dinner.

She was pulled from her thoughts when Marty asked her a question, "Would you like us to order you anything?"

"No thanks, I uhm… I should probably get going again," she answered, and pushed herself off the couch.

"Alright," Marty answered and stood up as well.

Marty followed Kensi to the door in silence, as they reached the door Marty broke the silence.

"Thank you for checking up on me, Kens. You really didn't have to do that." As he said the last part, he was unable to maintain eye contact.

Kensi's heart broke slightly for the man when his eyes drifted to the ground, as if he truly believed that no one would, or should, want to check up on him.

"Yes I did," she asserted, before softly adding, "It's the least I could do after…" She let the rest of the sentence hang in the air, knowing it could mean two things. After his attack at his house, or, even more likely, after what happened on her watch at the boatshed.

He sighed deeply before nodding, letting her do this for him to ease her mind, and honestly his as well.

As she was about to turn around and start walking down the long driveway, Marty spoke up.

"So uhm… since I'll still be waiting for that phone call, when should I turn my phone back on?" He asked in a slightly teasing tone, but also serious since it regarded his own safety.

She thought about it for a moment before answering, "How about I call Kip's estate when it's safe once more so you can turn on your phone?" Then her expression turned slightly flirtatious, "Then you'll know what the call on _your_ phone will be about."

She did not leave him any time to come up with a retort, and to be honest, it would have taken awhile since the now flabbergasted lawyer was for once at a loss for words.

Kensi was aware that she was being watched as she walked back down the driveway but forced herself not to look back at the man whom she knew would be the one watching. Marty only managed to close the door once the brunette was completely out of sight.

When he turned around from the door he almost walked straight into his friend, "Woah, didn't see you there," he chuckled.

Kip was just staring at his friend, knowing that he would understand the question without the need for words.

Marty resisted the urge to sigh, "She just wanted to make sure that it was secure here,"

"And?" His friend prodded.

"And after I told her that you'd asked for more security, she gave her approval," he laughed a little at the ending, as if agent Kensi Blye would have the final verdict in his safety. Not entirely unsure that it was untrue.

"That's all?" He continued his questioning.

"What is this, twenty questions for Marty?" He tried to joke, but his friend knew him too well, and knew that the humor was an attempt to get out of answering the uncomfortable question.

"You know what I mean." Kip stated softly but seriously.

This time he _did_ sigh deeply, "I guess she also felt bad for what happened in that boatshed, she actually seemed pretty pissed about the accusations as well."

Kip seemed to lighten up a bit after finding out that she _had not_ been one of the agents bringing up the terrible event from Marty's past. Then he relaxed his shoulders and started smiling, an expression of mischief that let the lawyer know that his friend was up to no good.

"Anything else you wanna tell me?" He asked, the grin on his face never leaving.

Deciding that playing dumb would be for the best, he was not going to make this easy for his friend. "About what?"

"The agent," he stated as if it was not already obvious, before mischievously adding, "She was _bad_."

" _Dude_ … come on she's-" he tried defending, before his friend, who was pretending not to hear him, interrupted him.

" _And_ … you _are_ a sucker for brunettes," he added with an over the top wink.

"I am _so_ not going there right now," he tried to sound serious, but failed miserably, unable to laugh at his friend's pushy antics as he started walking away from the front door.

His friend, too, was laughing as he called after him in an over dramatic style, "You can run from it, but you cannot hide from it, Marty"

"Why are you always such an ass?" He countered jokingly.

Kip walked to his side and shrugged nonchalantly, "I guess you've rubbed off on me. Now… what do you want for dinner?"

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! My next week and a half will be _very_ busy starting Wednesday, but I'll try and see if I can push out another chapter before that to not leave you in a drought! ;-) **


	15. The Call

**A/N: Couldn't let you go through such a drought without a last chapter before I head off. Thank you all so much for the continuous support, it is truly breathtaking and hard to fathom how many have read/favourited/followed/reviewed the story, so flattering, thank you all!**

 **'me': I guess I could not allow you to look at it the wrong way!**

 **Best regards, Cape**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: The call**

The agents had not been called in over the weekend, so after driving out to Marty's residence in Malibu to get Monty to his neighbors, Kensi had primarily spent her time relaxing on the couch catching up on some of the missed Top Model episodes she had prerecorded, whilst eating takeaway food and ice cream.

The weekend had allowed for things to cool down a bit once again, but walking into the old Spanish mission Monday morning, Kensi could still feel some of the annoyance lingering from the mishandling at the boatshed last Friday. As she turned into the bullpen the chatting from her two coworkers came to a halt.

"Morning, Kensi," the former SEAL tested the waters.

"Morning." She answered without looking at Sam, in an only slightly more aggressive tone than she usually would, after all, she would have to try and act professional.

Callen got up and placed a box of donuts on her desk, "An offering of peace," he commented smiling lightly, "The least we could do, really."

She looked up at the man standing in front of her desk and then let her gaze drift to the man sitting behind him before finally settling on the sugary goodness that was glazed donuts. She did not instantly reach for one of them though, knowing that doing such would be accepting the apology. After a moment deep in thought, she decided that her two friends really did know that they had messed up and since they were now trying to remedy the fact, she would try not to hold a grudge or work against them.

"Thank you," she mumbled through the first donut, having accepted their apology.

After the devouring of the first four donuts, Eric joined the three agents down at the bullpen.

"Top o' the mornin' to ya!" He attempted in a terrible Irish accent.

"Hey Eric what's-" Callen interrupted himself when he looked up at the technical operator, "What on Earth are you wearing?" He asked wide-eyed and pointed to Eric's legwear.

"Oh this," he gesticulated the length of the cloth, "It's a tactical kilt." He stated proudly.

"You do know kilts are Scottish right? Not Irish." Sam started the teasing.

"Are you even allowed to wear that for Hetty?" Kensi chimed in.

Eric huffed, "I'll have you know there are shorts sewn into these, so they are in accordance to the NCIS dress code."

"Did you lose a bet or something?" Callen asked, attempting to hold back his laughter.

"No I just…" he stopped himself, realizing that this was a battle he would _not_ be able to win, he decided to go with a change of subject instead, coughing slightly to regain composure he started, "So, Nell and I looked into The Facilitators, having the facial rec program run through the weekend, but found no hits anywhere."

The agents nodded, telling him to continue the briefing.

"We got a witness statement from Young, the guy you saved from that house last Friday. Unfortunately he didn't have anything to add, he was grabbed from the behind and knocked out with what they presumed to be chloroform."

"So where does that leave us?" Sam asked.

"With paperwork," their operations manager responded a bit too happily. Neither of the agents was surprised by the sudden appearance of her, but the technical operator jumped slightly, he was never going to acclimatize to her unforeseen appearances.

A mutual groan sounded in the bullpen, much to the liking of Hetty as she walked back to her desk to sip some victory tea.

...

The following two weeks were spent mainly working on backlogged paperwork with the odd assignment, none too difficult or more than a day or two in length. Callen and Sam spent the time in the office mending the damaged fence and Kensi tried to accept the plethora of apologies, which did lighten the mood, but there still was a bit of a nagging feeling in the back of Kensi's head, that they would need to apologize to the man whom they had truly hurt as well, although she was not in the right to demand that, not knowing if the lawyer would actually want the apology.

In the middle of the second week, Kensi had called Kip's residence, but at that time the lawyer had been unavailable, she had Kip inform Marty, that he was as safe as they could possibly guarantee. Eric and Nell had not found anyone with relations to The Facilitators entering the country since the incident, and they had not found anyone who Bakaj had contacted whilst in the states. The basketball star thanked the agent wholeheartedly, he had made an effort to treat her better after knowing his best friend had asked her out to dinner.

With that call all done and over with, Kensi knew that the time to make the _second_ phone call was approaching rapidly, and as she had previously teased the lawyer, she, too, knew what _that_ call would be about.

She was sitting on her couch after a particularly boring day at the office, the only thing breaking the monotony of the paperwork of the day had been lunch and the trip to the firing range to keep her from going insane. Sitting on the couch, she let her mind drift to the man she had not seen in more than two weeks now. She started wondering when the most appropriate time would be to make that call, after all _she_ had insisted that he be healed before letting him take her out. But being fully healed sure was not a necessity, right?

Deciding to call him at the start of the upcoming week would be the best idea. That way he would have a bit more time to heal and she would have some more time to actually pull herself together and make the phone call.

...

The following week started as equally boring as the last workweek had ended. Kensi was finding it increasingly hard to concentrate on the paperwork in front of her, knowing she had decided, that she would be calling Marty later that day. Her plans were ruined for the moment, when Eric's recognizable, high-pitched whistle sounded from above. A case. Great.

The case involved a Chief Petty Officer running a small time drug ring off base, and while it was not one of the highest priorities, the team ended up working through the night to resolve it. They finally arrested the man the following afternoon after a small foot chase.

The three agents walked through the doors in the Spanish mansion, Callen and Sam still bickering about the chase.

"You should've chased him as well." Callen complained.

"I did!" The bigger man smirked, "Just from the comfort of my car, that's all."

"That does _not_ count, I had to do all the work!"

"Hey!" Kensi entered the conversation, "I did the actual takedown," she reminded him.

The team lead sighed loud and dramatically, "That's because _I_ chased him right towards where you were waiting."

"Give it up, G." Sam laughed, "Kensi _did_ take the man down."

"I give up," the lead agent sighed knowing there would be no way he was winning that discussion.

The three got to work on the following paperwork, even though they had been awake for more than twenty-four hours, they were over the threshold of being tired, and as such, figured they might as well face the dreaded paperwork head on.

Somewhere on the second page of the report Kensi suddenly remembered that she had promised herself to call Marty… yesterday. Dammit, she thought, because there was no way on Earth she would be calling him in the current sleepy state she was in. She sighed loudly earning looks from both her colleagues, but she just ignored them, coming to the conclusion that _the_ phone call would have to wait until tomorrow.

...

The following morning was just like every other work morning for Kensi, with the exception that she had spent a bit more time on freshening herself up than she usually would. Although she knew it was completely irrational, she wanted to look her best when calling the handsome lawyer later on today. She had made a mental deadline that said lunchtime, that way she would not be able to postpone it any further with the exception of a case, of course.

Thankfully there were no pressing cases, and as such the morning was spent in the company of more paperwork, much to the dismay of her fellow colleagues, but for once she appreciated the quiet time since it meant there would be nothing to foil her plans at lunch. When lunch time rolled around, her two colleagues were going out to grab a bite, and Callen asked if she wanted to join him and Sam. She politely declined but asked him to bring back something for her, to which he accepted although looked at her quizzically, it was not like her to skip going out for lunch, but he also knew that if she did not want to share she certainly would not.

When Sam and Callen were out of sight she walked away from her desk towards the small kitchenette area for a bit more privacy.

She scrolled through her contacts on the phone and stopped when she reached 'D', she took a few deep breaths before calling the contact named 'Deeks'. The nervousness she felt was incredible, the butterflies in her stomach making their presence known, and she almost contemplated hanging up before he would have a chance to pick up, but quickly chastised herself at the idea.

On the fourth chime he picked up, she heard some rustling of papers before his greeting sounded, "Marty Deeks speaking."

Upon hearing his voice through the phone she exhaled deeply, not able to find words in the moment until Marty pulled her out of her paralyzed state with a questioning, "Hello?"

"Hi, it's uhm… it's Kensi." She greeted awkwardly, kicking herself for the weird greeting.

"Kensi," he greeted back warmly, "So nice to hear from you."

She felt heat rising to her cheeks, annoyed with her self over how she was acting like a teenage schoolgirl whenever it involved the snazzy lawyer.

"So I guess this is that second phone call," he chuckled when he got no response.

"Yeah, I guess it is," she replied, finding that more of her senses and words were coming back to her.

"So you're not backing out of my offer?" He challenged.

"Not at all," she assured quickly, "In fact, how does Friday sound?"

It was his time to sound stupefied, "Friday sounds uhm… yeah, Friday sounds good."

"Good," she replied and chuckled inwardly, oh, how they seemed to struggle with communication, at least over the phone.

"So…" he started, "Want me to pick you up or would you prefer to meet somewhere?" Leaving the agent with multiple options seemed like the better idea, he reasoned.

Kensi thought about it for a moment or two, deciding that since her reaction with the lawyer was so out of what she would normally be like, why not go 'all in' on abnormality and have him pick her up. After all, he had undergone a background check from Eric and Nell, and it was not like he was a stranger to Kensi, although she knew very little of the man.

"You know what, why don't you pick me up? I'll text you the address." She smiled upon making the request.

"That… sounds good." She started, obviously thrown off by her acceptance of the offer, "How does seven o'clock sound?"

"Sounds perfect."

* * *

 **As stated in the previous chapter, I will (unfortunately) be away for a week'ish, and as such updates will not be frequent (if any), hope you'll manage! :)**


	16. Readying

**A/N: I'm back! A little quicker than I thought I would be, but I hope you won't complain ;) Had my birthday promptly followed by a football turnament-slash-festival event spanding over the weekend, thought I would need a few more days to recuperate, but other than a nasty sunburn and no voice I'm all good for writing! Yay!**

 **Thank you all ever so much for the massive support and reviews, truly heartwarming.**

 **'Guest': I have no idea why I kept writing Charger and not Challenger, must have been stuck in my head for some reason... but I will make it my mission to remedy the fact going forward! ;)**

 **'Guest 2(?)': They did not comment on the kilt thing because I (embarrassingly) did not know that(!). It would have made for a great Hetty moment for sure, dangit!**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Readying**

As she drove into work Friday morning, Kensi was begging for a quiet day at the office. Although she knew she would have a hard time waiting for the clock to tick down for the weekend and the date in the evening, she knew that if any case came up, chances was that she would have to call the lawyer and cancel and she did _not_ want to have to do that.

"You seem awfully happy today," Sam commented as she sat down at her desk.

"Am I not allowed to be cheerful now, Sam?" She countered, not denying his statement, but not wanting to give away the reasoning behind her mood either.

"Of course!" He backpedalled, "It's just…"

"Odd," his partner added, chuckling slightly.

She glared at the man sitting next to her, "Me being happy in the morning is _not_ odd."

He just chuckled a bit more, "You're not really a morning person," he countered.

She just huffed and started working on the paperwork sitting idle on her desk, knowing she could not dispute his claim and not wanting to give her two, all too curious, coworkers anymore information or reason to pry.

Surprisingly, Sam and Callen did not attempt to further inquire about her, what they described as, uncharacteristic morning happiness… until well after lunch that was. It had been a quiet day at the office, fortunately for Kensi there had been no cases for the team to handle, and as expected, the time had been passing way too slow for her liking and her colleagues were beginning to notice her restlessness.

"Is there somewhere you'd rather be?" Callen prodded.

"Paperwork gets boring quickly," she dismissed with a shrug.

"Right," the team lead let the word drag out. "Sure you're not going on a date? It _has_ been a while." He knew well that his friend sitting next to him would get restless for very few things, and even fewer of those would be done on a Friday night, as such he was pretty sure she would be seeing someone afterwards, getting Kensi to admit that on the other hand…

She quickly considered whether or not to tell them about her date, but knew if she disclosed that she was going out, Sam and Callen would want to know more about the guy whom she would be seeing, and there was no way in hell she would tell them she was seeing the lawyer from the case a few weeks back. Especially since she was still feeling protective of him, even though they had pretty much cleared the air between them, Kensi was still feeling a tad bit bitter on behalf of Marty towards her teammates.

"Just looking forward to a relaxing weekend _without_ paperwork." She tried to steer the conversation away from dating, but let a bit of annoyance slip through in her voice.

"Mhmm," Sam started, "And you're sure you're not seeing anyone tonight?" He knew the female agent was hiding something, and when she was restless as work that was usually a pretty good indication of her having something to do after work, and being a Friday, that thing usually would be involving a second party.

"Why are you suddenly so interested in my plans?" She asked, getting increasingly annoyed that they would not take a hint and leave it alone.

"We're just interested in your love life," Callen said equal parts defensive and joking.

"My dating life is none of your business." She snapped. It seemed some of the anger she had felt of behalf of Marty was seeping through now she was going to see him later in the day.

"So you _are_ going on a date."

Kensi sighed loudly, letting her annoyance known to the two others. Instead of further snapping at them and afraid of even more anger seeping through towards the other members of her team, she made her way towards the firing range to blow off some steam.

As she left, Callen and Sam made eye contact, asking each other whether or not they pushed they female teammate too far, after all she _had_ let them know it was none of their business. Silently deciding that letting her cool off in the gym or wherever she had gone, they both turned to continue with the much-dreaded paperwork in front of them.

...

Forty-five minutes later, a slightly more relaxed agent walked into the bullpen once more. She sat down wordlessly and began working on whatever document she had previously left unfinished. The tension in the room was almost palpable, as she did nothing to register the two agents already there. Sam and Callen looked at each other, trying to decide who would draw the short straw and break the silence.

In the end, the more emotional one of the two decided to speak up.

"Are you alright, Kensi?" He asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She countered, trying her hardest not to let any annoyance seep through to her voice.

"You just took off before," Sam continued, taking a pause to breathe and consider his next words, "Look… I'm sorry if we pushed too hard before, but we really do care about your private life as well."

Kensi sighed deeply, taking her time to fully digest the words spoken. "I know, it's just… I don't really want to talk about stuff like that, either it goes horribly or you joke about it." She knew her friends would never do anything to hurt her, and all the joking and messing around was nothing if not good-hearted, but her dating history _had_ been less than stellar, and as such she hated having anyone know whenever she dared to go on another date, knowing it would probably not work out for her.

This time she at least knew whom she was going out with, at least more than the ones she would usually see for one night only. And she really wanted it to work out with him. She knew that her teammates knowing she would be going out would have nothing to do with how the date itself would go, but she could not help the irrational part of her brain from making that connection.

"It's okay," she started, knowing that she would at least attempt to explain her behavior. She really did not want to have to explain any further, she _hated_ talking about her love life, it was a real sore spot for her, and she tried to convey that in her voice as she continued, "I just don't like talking about it. So can you just… you know, leave it at that?"

She almost sounded saddened at the confession to her friends. They knew about her not liking dating, they could count on one hand the number of times she had attended a second date since she started working alongside her, but they had no idea it was that tender of a subject.

"Of course," Sam stated and Callen agreed, sitting next to her nodding.

"We won't pry anymore," he told her truthfully, before wanting to lighten the atmosphere a little, "But we expect to be kept up to date on anyone we need to have a closer look at." He said jokingly.

Sam's plan worked, and Kensi let herself laugh at his attempt to be the protective bother type, "I'll let you guys know if that'll be necessary."

"Good." Callen responded and smiled at her, happy that he and Sam had conveyed that they cared but would no longer push for information… at least not a lot. "On that note, I don't think Hetty will mind if we leave ten minutes early."

"We'll let you take the fall if she does," she teased, knowing that they were still trying to lighten the mood, as the team was still not completely back at normal after the incident few weeks back at the boatshed.

They said their goodbyes, and Kensi made her way home, now in good time to prepare for the, hopefully, wonderful evening ahead. As she drove towards her house, she realized that she actually had no idea what had been planned for the evening. Yes, she knew that he would be taking her out for dinner, but whilst she would usually insist on a specific place or at the very least insist on knowing where they would be going, she surprisingly found herself being all right with letting the captivating lawyer take the reins for the evening.

...

As she stepped out of her bathroom after showering, she felt a creeping nervousness intruding. Normally she would hardly have any nerves going into a date, usually because she would dismiss it as being anything other than a potential one-night stand. This time, however, she felt there might be potential for something more. She had already exited her usual comfort zone by letting him pick her up _and_ not caring where they were going for dinner, and if that was not a sign that Kensi was giving this _an actual chance_ for once, she did not know how to.

Although the man whom she was about to see was primarily very laid back, his style had been very simple yet sophisticated and trendy, without being _too_ _much_. Thinking about how he dressed, Kensi decided to go for a slightly more ostentatious look than she usually would for a first date, but also whilst keeping it simple. As such, she settled on a sleeveless, black, high neck dress ending just above her knees, which perfectly complimented her figure, a clutch that suited the dress, and for footwear she went with a matching pair of heels. She also found a nice cardigan to bring in case it would get late, so she would be able to keep warm.

After she had finally settled on an outfit, she went back to her bathroom to add the finishing touches on her make-up.

As the clock slowly neared seven, Kensi surprisingly found herself getting increasingly calmer, but when her doorbell sounded the previous calm that had surrounded her promptly left and all the butterflies in her stomach who had previously taken a break was back with a vengeance.

She took a few deep breaths to compose herself before walking over to the door, quickly checking through the door viewer that it was indeed him, she felt her heartbeat increase tenfold at the confirmation. Kensi allowed herself one last deep breath before she opened the door.

Opposite the threshold stood the man who had previously made her heart flutter even in spite of the serious situations they had found themselves in.

She let her gaze drift hungrily over his body, and she was happy she had decided to dress a bit more upscale in the end. He was wearing a charcoal suit trousers and vest with a light blue shirt underneath, each sleeve rolled up to just before his elbow. A black tie and shoes along with a nice silver watch with a brown wristband made up the accessories. As she let her gaze drift further up she could see that his face was now fully healed but his hair still unruly as ever.

"Wow," he was the first to make any comment, obviously having looked over the equally well-dressed woman in front of him.

"You're not doing too bad yourself there, mister." She replied, trying and failing to keep the blush rising at bay.

He felt the heat rising as well but was better at hiding it under his entire scruff, "You truly are a sight for sore eyes," he complimented her further. He knew it was cheesy but he could not find it in himself to care at the moment.

She did not reply, too busy still fighting the increasing feelings she felt at both the sight in front of her and the compliments he was giving her, it took everything she could muster to try and keep the red color from her cheeks.

"Are you ready?" He prodded when he got no response.

She nodded at his question, still unable to find words. She grabbed her clutch and stepped outside. She turned to lock the door to her place before turning to him once more. She found him offering his arm and she gladly put her hand around it, letting him lead her to the car and the beginning of the evening.


	17. As Expected

**A/N: Hiya! Super sorry for the long delay on this chapter, a decent mix of real life and a mild writer's block I think being the main causes here.**

 **Anyways, thank you so much for the continued support really puts a smile on my face and pushes me to write more!**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: As expected**

" _Are you ready?" He prodded when he got no response._

 _She nodded at his question, still unable to find words. She grabbed her clutch and stepped outside. … She found him offering his arm and she gladly put her hand around it, letting him lead her to the car and the beginning of the evening._

He opened the passenger side door for her, firmly set on being the perfect gentleman, as she had slid into the seat, he closed the door carefully behind her once he was sure she all the way in. He quickly moved around his dark blue Mustang and got into the driver's seat.

Before turning the keys and starting the vehicle, he looked to his right at the beautiful woman sitting next to him, "I've really been looking forward to tonight," He said, shooting her his mesmerizing smile.

Kensi felt her heart flutter again, smiled coyly at him as she responded, "Me too, Marty."

They did not even make it two minutes from when he started driving until Kensi was pestering him about where they were going. Although she had decided, that she was fine with him choosing where they would be heading and she really had not needed to know previously, but sitting in the car with him and not knowing where they were going, was making her impatient and driving her mind crazy.

"Where are we going?"

He chuckled and gave the same answer he had the three previous inquiries, "It's a secret."

She huffed at his teasing antics, although she did find herself enjoying being challenged by someone for once.

"Do I not even get a hint?" She tried prodding.

He made a show of considering the answer, rubbing his chin for added effect, "I figured we should probably get some food in your system first," he replied vaguely yet teasingly.

"Let me guess, you're not going to tell me where?" She asked, already having figured out the teasing nature of the man sitting next to her. Whilst she would love to know where they would be eating, she was just pleased that they were going for dinner before whatever else he might have planned, since she was absolutely starving.

"Nope," he responded, popping the 'p', giving her the answer she expected.

The rest of the car ride was spent talking about Marty's recovery process and his friendship with the basketball star, Kip Brigham. Marty happily told Kensi that he was almost at the top of his game with the exception of a bit of soreness in his midsection caused by the still bruised ribs. The conversation flowed easily as he retold how Kip's personal trainer had pushed him like a drill sergeant, making sure to include some way over the top impersonations of the trainer, making Kensi laugh almost to the point of snorting.

They finally pulled up outside one of the better-known Italian restaurants in the city. It was a nice upscale place without being too over the top. People who came here tended to dress quite nicely, but the restaurants management aimed at a more lax atmosphere than it was typical in a lot of other high-end dining experiences, which had secured the place as one of Marty's favourites.

"Hope you're in the mood for Italian," Deeks chimed cheerily, as he extended a hand to help Kensi out of the Mustang.

Usually Kensi would be against such actions, but as before at her apartment, she was more than happy to allow the mesmerizing lawyer his moments of chivalry.

"Italian sounds perfect," she answered truthfully, as she stepped out of the passenger side, her hand firmly supported by his.

As she got out of the car, Kensi surprised herself by automatically reaching for her companion's arm. Marty looked at her as she did and smiled warmly at the action. They walked into the restaurant like that, Kensi finding herself leaning slightly more up against him as he greeted the hostess who seemed to pay a little too close attention to her date.

The two of them were quickly ushered to a small table towards the back of the restaurant where they were seated. Kensi was having a hard time deciding what to pick from the plentiful menu but eventually ended up settling on pasta carbonara and some garlic bread on the side, Marty went with mushroom risotto as well as ordering bruschetta for them both as appetizer along with a nice bottle of red wine.

The meal was excellent and the company was even better, they were freely chatting about everything and nothing, and Kensi found herself relaxing even more than she usually would at dates like this. The fact that the smiling man sitting across from her already knew what she would usually have to lie about was a major relief for her. She usually hated lying to dates about her job but knew it was a necessary evil in her line of business, and now not having to hide it felt like one of her major hurdles for dating was no longer.

"Are you sure you have room for dessert?" He teased after she was done scraping her plate completely clean.

"I did not eat that much," she faux chastised him, before continuing, "Besides, I always have enough room for dessert."

"Oh wow," the reply sounded teasingly sensual, finished off with a wink.

"I did _not_ mean it like that!" She tried berating him but failed, as she could not keep her laughter away.

"Are you ready to order anything for dessert?" The kind waitress asked before Marty had an opportunity to reply to the blush that slowly crept up on Kensi's cheeks.

Half an hour later they had both finished a cup of coffee alongside the tiramisu they were both very happy they had settled on.

As the waiter came over with the bill, Kensi pulled out her wallet, wanting to at least pay for her half of the meal they had just shared, but Marty brushed it away, insisting on footing the bill, claiming that it was the least he could do for everything she had done for him.

Soon after they were in his Mustang once again sitting in content silence, Kensi had considered inquiring about where they were going, but remembered back to the previous drive they shared together, she knew that asking would be futile.

Luckily for Kensi's kid-like curiosity, the drive was not too long this time, and after Marty helped her out of the car, he handed his keys to the valet standing ready.

"So, uhm…" he started, obviously slightly nervous about where they were, "I wasn't sure whether or not this would be your cup of tea," he drifted off.

She looked up at the massive theater they were standing in front, it was no red carpet event, but like the restaurant in which they had shared dinner, it was obviously an upscale event, there were even a few paparazzos outside. Having made a three-sixty of her surroundings, her eyes settled on the title clearly plastered above the entrance to the fancy building.

"The Lion King?" She asked.

"They're doing a tour in California right now, thought it might be a bit different," he shrugged and smiled tentatively, still a bit nervous of her reaction.

Feeling bold and wanting to put the lawyer's mind at ease, Kensi slowly let her hand drift down from the crook of his arm, where it had automatically settled, to his hand, grabbing it softly.

"A good kind of different," she smiled shyly at him, wholeheartedly meaning it.

His tentative smile turned into one of pure appreciation, a smile that brought a tickle to rise in her stomach, releasing all the butterflies that she had tried to suppress.

Their seats were excellent, just a few rows from the scene itself. Marty told Kensi as they sat down that he had gotten the tickets from the event coordinator he knew through one of his friends from law school.

The show was beyond any other she had ever watched, an absolute masterpiece that kept improving throughout the show like a crescendo, culminating in an incredible finish that perfectly wrapped up the performance.

Somewhere in the middle of the act, Kensi had found her hand seeking out his again. He did not look at her this time, captivated by the performance on the stage, but she could see his smile increasing, spreading across his face, and as he squeezed her hand, he let her know he appreciated the gesture.

They were walking in content quiet to the valet whom was getting the vehicle for them. They stood waiting for his dark blue Mustang still hand in hand. When the car finally came around, she let him open the door for her and help her into her seat before walking around to the driver's side.

"I didn't peg you to like musicals," she prodded slightly teasingly as they drove away from the venue.

He chuckled and shrugged, "Guess it's a guilty pleasure of mine."

"You've seen many?" She asked, genuinely curious.

"A few," he still chuckled, unsure whether to divulge further information, but found himself wanting to share what he had with no others, "I've actually been to Vegas a few times to watch some of them."

"Really?" She asked, not judgmental but still curious.

"Yeah," he looked a bit abashed at the confession.

She could feel the uneasiness coming from him at the admission, "I think that's great, Marty," she started trying to put his mind at ease, "Besides I really liked the show tonight."

"Yeah?" He asked, chirpiness returning to his voice.

"Yeah," she confirmed nodding, and for the third time during the evening she found her hand seeking his, as it found its target across the middle console a warmth spread throughout her body starting from where she made contact with the man next to her.

"I didn't peg you to be the touchy type," he chuckled.

"Oh shut up," she countered weakly, leaning across to playfully swipe at his shoulder with her right hand, because there was no way she was letting go with her left right now.

The action just made the chuckle turn into a full laugh, and soon after she felt herself unable to resist, giving in and joining in the laughing of nothing, just pure enjoyment over the company in the vehicle.

When they arrived in front of Kensi's apartment, her stomach hurt from all the laughing. The drive home had seemed incredibly quick and the evening overall was over way too soon for her liking.

As Marty stepped out of the vehicle to open her door for one last chivalrous action for the evening, Kensi started thinking about the man outside the car. He had captivated her right from the first time they met at his job, her interviewing him, or interrogating rather, she supposed. Him being attacked in his own home with her and her team to save him and her going with him to the hospital, as well as the potential threat on his life that led the team to his estate once more. This date really had been a long time underway and it had exceeded all her expectations. She smiled as she thought how the laid back lawyer had already wiggled his way through her usual defenses.

She was pulled out of her deep thoughts when the door next to her opened slowly, the man in question smilingly offering her his hand.

"Thanks," she smiled at him.

Unlike the last time he helped her out of the car, she did not let go of his hand. He was, of course, quick to catch on to that fact, and smiled brightly at her making the butterflies in her stomach go wild once more and her cheeks heat.

He led her to the front door which she unlocked, but instead of opening it and entering, effectively ending the evening the two had spent together, she turned around, her polychrome eyes meeting his ocean blue ones.

Marty felt he get completely lost in her beautiful brown and hazel eyes, before clearing his throat slightly, effectively bringing himself back to the present. "Would it be okay if I…?" He let the question drift off, his gaze shifting from her eyes and slowly drifting to her lips.

Unable to find words as she, too, had gotten lost in the eyes mere inches away from her, she could only nod at his request.

He leaned in slowly and she felt heat rise to her collarbone and cheeks before she could not wait any more and stood on her toes meeting him halfway, their lips colliding softly. The kiss was just long enough as to not be chaste but not overly heated.

"I really enjoyed tonight, Kens." He said, their lips separated, but his blue eyes still merely inches from her mismatched ones.

"Me too," she confessed.

He smiled softly at her, committing this moment to memory.

"Could we do this again?" He asked just above a whisper.

Their closeness meant that she had easily heard him, and had easily picked up on the tinge of uncertainty in his voice.

"I'd like that a lot," she quickly responded, pecking his lips once more.

"Good," his captivating smile enveloping her in warmth despite the dropping temperatures, "I'll uhm… I'll call you then, okay?"

"Okay," she responded back just above a whisper as well.

"Goodnight Kens."

She pecked his lips once more, knowing that moving fast would not be the best option for the two of them.

"Goodnight Marty."

* * *

 **A/N: So... what do you think? I don't think I want to end the story here, I simply enjoy it too much :) The question is, should I continue the story here with some dating/drama/whatever or start a new story in the same established universe somewhere in the (near/far?) future?**


	18. Cancellation

**A/N: Thank you all for all the reviews and PMs with various ideas for where you think this series should be heading. I've read all of them (multiple times!) and was truly inspired by some. So thank you all for being awesome once more! Hope you'll enjoy this next installment.**

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Cancellation**

Monday morning came around way too soon, the weekend had been a nice relaxing deviation from her usually busy and dangerous work life, oh and then there were the fact that the majority of the weekend had been spent reliving the date she had had Friday evening with the handsome lawyer, Marty Deeks. She still had not heard from him, but she reasoned that he did not want to seem overly eager or desperate, and as such would wait a bit longer than what Kensi prefered before calling her, a call that she found herself looking increasingly forward to. As a general rule of thumb, Kensi Blye did _not_ do second dates, _at all_ , but with the laid back lawyer she found herself looking forward to it. A lot.

The day was eventless and consisted of paperwork and then working on some cold cases after the team had completed all of their paperwork for the first time in over a year. All in all a very boring Monday with the exception of sporadic thoughts drifting towards the handsome lawyer once again, earning her knowing looks from her two teammates as she multiple times got caught in a daydream with a content smile plastered on her face, but as they had promised her last week, there was no prying… for now at least.

She arrived home at her apartment around the usual time when there were no cases, having swung by one of her favorite burger joints to grab some dinner to go. She had just closed the door behind her before her phone started chiming and a smile spread as she saw whom the caller was.

"Hi Marty," she answered cheerfully.

"Kens, hi." He cleared his throat on the other end, "Wasn't sure when the most appropriate time to call would be… hope it's not too late."

She could her the slight doubt in his voice over the phone, but quickly dismissed it, he had obviously been considering when to call as to not interfere with her work and she immensely appreciated the gesture.

"Now is fine, Marty. Stop worrying," she calmed him.

He chuckled, "That's good," he paused for a moment, readying himself to ask her out again, even though they had already agreed on it he still let the nerves get the better of him, "So… you're still up for another date?" He asked cautiously.

"Oh yes!" She answered just a little too quickly, earning her the lovely sounds of Marty chuckling through the phone.

"Would Friday be good again?" He asked, knowing that with her job she would probably have to pick the date and time.

"Uhm… for now it seems good," she started not sure how to explain any possible cancellations to him. Luckily she did not have to as he took over for her.

"But you're not sure in regards to cases and whatnot," he added.

"Yeah," she sighed, "Something like that."

"Why don't we aim for Friday, same time as last week and if anything comes up you'll call and we can figure something else out?"

If he had been next to her she would have kissed him right then and there, she could hardly fathom his understanding of her job and the cancellation she might have to make. It made her heart swell thinking of his will to truly make this date happen.

"That sounds good," she responded sweetly, before adding a "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he easily replied in kind, "I'm really looking forward to seeing you again, Kensi."

She felt her heart flutter at his confession, something that seemed to happen a lot more often after her path crossed with the intriguing lawyer.

"Me too, Marty."

"I'm glad," she could practically hear his smile through the phone, "I guess I'll hopefully be picking you up on Friday."

"I guess you hopefully will," she laughed, "See you then, Marty."

"See you then, Kens."

...

The peace, quiet, and boredom at work lasted until Thursday just before noon when the team caught a case involving the death of a Petty Officer in what seemed to be a drug deal gone South.

They worked through the night and well into the next day with only a few sporadic naps before finally narrowing down the list of possible suspects to a single man who was known as a big-time dealer and club owner. As such it is decided that the best course of action would be to go undercover at the club to try and make him incriminate himself as the DNA evidence was not yet finished being processed.

It was a few hours into the afternoon before Kensi suddenly realized that the planned course of action would disallow her to go on the second date with the mesmerizing lawyer, she stole a few minutes and headed to one of the few empty offices in the building.

She braced herself for the unfortunate phone call she was about to make, she _knew_ that he had already told her that he would understand if it became a necessity, but that did not make her feel any better. She, too, had really been looking forward to this next date, to something _more_ with the lawyer who had entranced her. Taking one last breath, she shook her head in a weak attempt to clear her head before pushing the 'call' button.

"Marty Deeks," he answered after a few rings.

"Hey Marty, it's Kensi."

"Kens, hi," she heard him shuffling around some papers, as she remembered that he had started back at work that week.

Kensi tried finding words to explain that she would have to cancel they date for the evening, but she found herself being unable to push past the lump that had formed in her throat.

"So I guess uhm… I guess you're not calling to re-confirm our date then, huh?" He asked and chuckled, she really did appreciate his attempt to inject humor into the otherwise bitter call.

"No," she sighed, "I'm really sorry Marty, but something has come up with work and…"

"It's alright," he cut her off reassuringly, "I told you that I'd understand, Kens. This is me understanding. We'll figure out some other day that works better instead, alright?"

She could hear the slight disappointment in his voice, but she knew that he was understanding and not disappointed in her but merely the situation in general. "Okay," the response sounded a lot more emotional now, her appreciation for the man made clearer by the tone.

"Why don't you give me a call once you're done saving the World?" he asked humorously.

His plan worked as he was rewarded with what he would describe as her adorable chuckle, "Okay, I'll call you as soon as we've wrapped up, alright?"

"Deal," he quickly agreed before clearing his throat to rid of the lump that had suddenly formed, "You uhm… you stay safe now, okay?"

The request caught Kensi off guard, she was only used to her team being cautious of her well being, and her team was used to the dangers as well. It was the first time she was seeing someone, or well they _had_ only been on one date, but she was not used to having anyone else worry about her safety, _especially_ someone she was interested in romantically.

"I'll do my best," she stated, knowing that she could not outright promise him to be safe.

"That's all I can ask for." He reassured her more positively than he currently felt.

She heard the team lead call for her from down the hall, the briefing for tonight's op was about to start and thus, she needed to end the current conversation.

"Look, I have to go but I'll call you _as soon_ as we're done, okay?" She reminded him.

"Sounds good, take care, Kens." He requested one last time.

"I will, bye Marty."

"See you, Kens."

...

He sighed heavily, he _knew_ that this would be a distinct possibility, but had steadfastly, or stubbornly he supposed, hoped that there would be no naval crimes to solve this particular night.

"Guess I'll be home all night anyways, Monty." He somewhat sadly said to his canine companion.

Monty reacted at the sound of his name by walking towards his owner before cocking his head at him and wagging his tails a few times, not really having any idea what he had just been told. Nevertheless he was rewarded with a good scratching behind his ears, making his tail work double time in order to accurately portray the mutt's excitement for the contact.

After about five minutes of quality time with Monty on the couch sprinkled with a tinge of self-pity, Marty went to grab his phone, having to cancel the reservation that he had made for the night. After cancelling the reservation he went to the kitchen to grab one of the few take-out menus he had laying around, deciding that a night in with a movie, beer, and a deep pan pizza was exactly what he was in the mood for right now.

Whilst waiting for the food to arrive, he took Monty for a short walk. They arrived back at the house just as the car from the pizza place pulled up, he quickly paid the delivery guy, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and settled on the couch to re-watch some mindless cult classic.

The op ran into the early hours of the night before Kensi, clad in a slightly too skimpy dress, had gotten enough information from their target to take him down. Callen and Sam had been posing as patrons in the club in case immediate backup was needed. Of course the dealer had not wanted to make the arrest easy, even though they had tried grabbing him as he was 'taking Kensi home', causing the night to end with a short-lasted shootout. Luckily they had been able to pacify the man when the former SEAL blindsided him with a punch, making him drop his weapon.

"Good job tonight, everyone." Hetty congratulated them after Sam and Callen returned from the wardrobe.

"Thank you," the team lead accepted the compliment from their operations manager.

"Ugh, that guy was a creep," Kensi exclaimed as she, too, returned to the bullpen after changing.

"You sure he wasn't _the one_ for you, Kensi?" Callen teased, "You sure had his attention."

Her thoughts immediately went to Marty and their cancelled date, making her feel guilty even though he seemed really understanding and the fact that it was not her fault either. Before letting her mind drift any further she reeled in her emotions and retorted, " _Please_! I'm pretty sure _you_ were closer to being his type, Callen," she joked.

"He did look at you longingly at one point, G." The bigger agent continued.

"I thought you were supposed to be on my side," the team lead weakly protested.

Sam smiled and shrugged one of his shoulders, "I'm on whichever side is _not_ being made fun of."

The team soon parted ways, all going home to catch up on some much needed sleep.

...

The lack of traffic at the early hour made the trip almost twice as fast as usual. She quickly locked the door behind her and went straight to the bathroom to brush her teeth before grabbing a few hours of sleep. On the ride home she had decided, despite the lack of sleep it would result in, to try and wake up before noon to see if the intriguing lawyer she had to cancel on would be available sometime during the weekend. She dropped her clothes in a messy heap on the floor and made sure to have two different alarms set just in case before going to sleep.

At ten thirty the alarm sounded, and a tired special agent quickly hit the snooze button allowing her some peace and quiet once again. Unfortunately, she had known herself only too well, and a minute after snoozing her first alarm, her phone started chiming a techno alarm from the opposite side of the room, forcing her to get out of bed in order to shut it off.

Damning her own genius she strutted her way across the room, turned off the alarm, and headed to the bathroom to grab a refreshing shower to try and wake her up.

Fifteen minutes later she emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body and one around her hair, feeling a lot more human than previous. She quickly got dressed and went to brew some coffee as she prepared herself for the phone call she wanted to make.

He had seemed so understanding the last time they spoke but she _had_ noticed the slight disappointment in his voice as well. Suddenly she became doubtful of how he would react to her call, but once she recalled his reassuring words she dismissed the doubt, besides, she had promised to call as soon as they were done and she was _not_ going to break her promise to the man. Determination filled her to not let her vow be broken, she swiftly grabbed her phone, found his number, and called.

There was a long silence only interrupted by the ringing, she was about to hang up as he answered.

"Deeks speaking," he picked up.

"Hello, _Deeks_ ," she teased.

"Kens, hi." By the change in his voice, she was sure eh was now smiling widely. "I take it you're done saving the World?"

"Something like that," she chuckled at his repeat description.

"So, uhm, you available tomorrow or want to plan something next week perhaps?" He prodded.

"Oh," she sounded not hiding her disappointment, "I was actually hoping you'd be free tonight perhaps?"

"Couldn't wait any longer to see me, huh?" He teased.

"Something like that, yeah." She felt her cheeks redden at the confession.

"Yeah, so I'm uhm, yeah," he fumbled his words, temporarily thrown off by her honestly, "I'm _definitely_ available tonight," he finally pushed through, making sure to put emphasis on 'definitely'.

"I'm glad," she almost giggled, although she would firmly deny any such accusation, "So you want to go out for dinner or something?"

"Sounds good, yeah. You have anywhere in mind?" He prodded, kind of wanting her to take the reins.

"Just nowhere too fancy, I'm a still a bit tired," she confessed. It actually took her by surprise that she was already proclaiming what she would see as a sign of weakness to the man, but as earlier, found herself not being too bothered by it.

"Alright, nothing too fancy," he acknowledged, "How about some burgers or something like that then?"

"That sounds really good, Marty."

"Want me to pick you up around six'ish? That way it won't be too, too late for you."

She found her heart fluttering at his consideration, "Six is perfect."

They said their 'goodbyes', and were now both looking forward to the evening ahead of them with glee.


	19. Doubts

**A/N: You guys are getting spoiled! 2 uploads in 3 days, (3 if you count Special Operations Group as well).**

 **Hope you're enjoying reading the story as much as I am currently writing it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Doubts**

Oh how time was a weird thing, whenever you wanted it to speed up it would inevitably feel like it cruelly slowed down almost to a halt, and vice versa of course, Marty thought to himself as he stepped out of the shower feeling refreshed.

He had spent most of the day cleaning the majority of his house as well having gone on a run with Monty, or as much of a run as the aging dog could muster, before casually walking the rest of the way, making sure to take the longest route to make even more time pass before getting back to the waiting at his place. After getting dressed he looked at the time as he grabbed one of his wristwatches, finding that there was just over an hour until he had to be at Kensi's place, which meant that there was roughly thirty minutes until he had to start driving to her place.

Unsure of how to spend the remaining half hour, knowing that it would feel like at least twice that if he was just sitting around twiddling his thumbs. He suddenly got an idea, granted a somewhat cliché one, but an idea nonetheless. He quickly fed Monty some of his awfully expensive natural chicken kibble and also ensured that the happy mutt would have enough water to sustain in the heat. After his canine companion had been cared for, he made his way out to his Mustang, making sure to lock the door behind him, before taking off towards his target.

...

She had not been able to go back to sleep, her jumbled thought making her unable to find rest despite being exhausted from working almost non-stop for two and a half days straight.

As the time got closer to when the man whom most of her thoughts throughout the day had revolved around would arrive, she found herself getting increasingly anxious. As a general rule of thumb, Kensi Blye did _not_ do second dates. Either the guy who had made a good impression on the first date did something undesirable, like suddenly acting chauvinistic, racist, or having some other deal-breaking character flaw, _or_ Kensi made a fool of her somehow and did not want to see the date again out of embarrassment. Either way second dates for her had this dark cloud above them, as if failure and disappointment was inevitable no matter how hard she wanted it to work.

She suppressed that negative line of thinking she had wandered down, and instead focused on all the _good_ _things_ about the man she was about to see in the evening.

He was a smart, well-educated lawyer, who had a successful career so far, he was also very kind and thoughtful, and of course there was no denying that he was jaw-droppingly good looking. His unruly golden locks that suited him so well, complimenting his sun tanned skin and his well-defined muscles, obviously developed from the countless hours he spent on a surfboard at the beach, and she was pretty sure he was working out as well if his stories about Kip's personal trainer was anything to go by.

Marty Deeks was the whole package, he was perf… a sudden recollection stopped Kensi mid thought. Her mind had subconsciously drifted back to their less than stellar time spent together in the boatshed, more specifically when he was in the interrogation room, having questions lobbed at him by her tactless teammates. The accusation stood out to her like a sore thumb, he had _shot_ someone, and he had been _furious_ when they brought it up.

Doubt crept back in, darkening her expectations of the night like a disease slowly taking over, the fact that he had discharged his weapon at someone playing on repeat in her mind. She wondered if that would be this second date's ruining factor. Deciding that a hot shower might be able to help collect her thoughts she headed for the bathroom in stride.

As the hot water hit her neck and back she immediately felt more relaxed, what she had really needed was a purgative bubble bath, but having less than an hour and a half until he would arrive had made that unavailable due to time constraints.

The catharsis she felt as the stream of hot water continued raining down did help her recollect her thoughts, she was able to picture the scenario that previously had her almost dreading the evening ahead with more clarity. Although it seemed like forever ago now, she was somehow able to remember that after the accusation of having discharged a weapon at someone, he did say something about it having been sealed in a juvenile court.

The thought that he had most likely been acquitted, as well as that whatever had happened was removed from his record came as such a relief for her. She finally felt like she was able to relax once more, knowing that whatever he had been forced to do had not been law breaking. Because she was now convinced that he had not had a choice in the matter, and as such was completely innocent.

Ten minutes later she was out of the shower, wrapped in a towel, and was once again looking forward to the evening ahead of her. She had been able to push away all doubts and negative presumptions, wanting to enjoy her time with the enthralling lawyer.

...

Marty pulled up in front of the familiar house. Before exiting he did a quick one-over of himself, even though he was wearing significantly more lax clothing than their last date, a nice polo shirt and washed-out jeans, he still wanted to ensure that he looked his best. After one last look in the rearview mirror, he confirmed that his style by air-dry hair was looking as it should... messy. He grabbed his surprise for Kensi from the passenger seat and walked towards the door.

He knocked a few times before hearing a 'just a minute' yelled from inside in the distinct voice that was definitely Kensi Blye. He felt a smile creep up on him upon hearing her voice, and when the door opened, revealing the beautiful form that was his date, his smile increased tenfold.

"Hi Marty," she greeted sweetly.

"Hey," he drawled, "I uhm, brought these for you," he said a little clumsily before handing over the surprise he had brought.

"Are those… candies?" She asked quizzically and looked back at the man just outside her threshold.

He shrugged in what he hoped looked like a nonchalant fashion, "I didn't peg you to be the type who loved flowers, so…" he let the end of the sending drift off.

"It's perfect, _thank you_!" She pecked him on his cheek before she was able to even think about it.

She was holding a bunch of assorted candies that had been rearranged into the shape of a bouquet, a gift she would prefer over real flowers _any_ day of the week.

She went back inside to put the bouquet of sweetness away before she exited the house, and in a familiar fashion let the lawyer lead her to the car just like their first date.

They talked about Marty starting back at work as drove to a local restaurant, consciously keeping the topic away from Kensi's work seeing as she was not really at liberty to discuss it in detail.

The restaurant was made to look like a fifties diner, and was known for their incredible burgers and shakes. The relaxing atmosphere was just what Kensi needed after her busy couple of days with lots of action and little sleep.

The conversation flowed freely as they talked about their different hobbies and time at college. They were waiting for their dessert to arrive as Marty recalled a story involving him having to 'rescue' one of his friends from an overly possessive girl who would not take a hint, which had Kensi laughing almost to the point of snorting. As the story was nearing it's crescendo Kensi's phone started ringing, she looked at the caller ID and excused herself from the table when she saw her team lead's name.

She returned a minute later, her expression a combination of annoyance and sadness.

"Work, huh?" Marty prodded as she sat back down at the table, able to piece together what type of call would cause such reaction from the woman.

"Yeah," she dragged out the word, "I'm really sorry Marty… I just wanted us to have a nice dinner and-"

"Kens," he stopped her mid-sentence, placing his hand over hers, "I promised you that I would be understanding, so please, we'll find another day, okay?"

She swallowed hard in an attempt to push past the lump of emotions the man had created, "Thank you," she finally croaked.

Marty pulled out his wallet and placed a fifty-dollar note on the table, they might not have received their dessert yet, but that did not mean that the restaurant had to foot the bill for that in his mind.

"You don't have to pay for everything," she stated firmly. She did _not_ want to be 'one of those girls' who just got everything handed to them.

"It's quicker and you need to get back to work," he shrugged, before his eyes shone and she just knew he was about to be cheeky, "Besides… then you'll just have to pay for our next dinner." He finished the sentence with a wink and his trademark smile.

If she had ever been more appreciative for a man she could not recall in this moment, the fact that the truthfully seemed to understand what her job required of her sometimes felt like such a huge burden lifted from her shoulders, that she could hardly fathom it. Oh, and of course there were the fact that he had been bold enough to suggest their third date in such a roundabout way, he was really something that Marty Deeks.

...

The dark blue Mustang came to a halt in front of her residence once again, too soon if you were to ask either of the two sitting in the car currently.

"Thank you again for being so understanding, Marty."

"Kens, would you stop thanking me," he sighed, "I told you I'd be-"

He was cut off mid-sentence by her leaning over the center console in the car, crashing her lips to his. If she was not allowed to continue to speak her appreciation of him she sure as hell could show him.

They parted when breath became a necessity. Marty had pushed back so they now met each other in the middle breathing heavily, their foreheads leaning against one another, his ocean blue eyes looking straight into her brown and hazel mismatched ones.

"I uhm… I've got to go," she regretfully broke the spell that currently enveloped the two.

"I know," he sighed, "You be careful now, okay?"

Her frown at having to leave turned into a smile at his concern for her safety, she found it oddly… cute, adorable?

"I will," she pecked his lips before adding, "And I'll call you as soon as we're done."

"Alright," he nodded against her head. "Take care, Kens."

"I will, see you soon Marty." She selfishly kissed his lips one last time, just long enough for it not to be chaste before exiting the car.

...

Kensi walked into the building donning her signature cardboard cup with her coffee in, essential if you were to ever question the need of it. She dropped off her things at her desk and immediately headed up the stairs towards OPS, where she knew her teammates would be.

After a quick briefing about a murder of a Chief Warrant Officer, the team walked together down to the bullpen to grab their gear before heading out to the crime scene.

Callen looked at the female agent, it had not gone unnoticed that she was wearing makeup and whilst her clothes was relaxed it was clear that she had put some thought into what she was wearing, which usually could only mean one thing… "Were you on a date when I called, Kensi?"

Kensi stiffened a little at the question, she had not really thought about what to tell her colleagues about her night, truthfully she kind of wanted to keep it a secret, not wanting her dating life scrutinized by her coworkers. That part was especially true as she thought back to the mental pain they had put her date through by their tactless accusations during the case revolving around Minerva Precisions now over a month ago.

She reasoned with herself that the best course of action would be to admit that she had a date, but not reveal whom it was with. That way her two teammates would have their curiosity somewhat satisfied, which would hopefully keep them from asking too many questions, especially after her tiny meltdown at work the day of her and Marty's first date.

"Yes I was on a date," she stated calmly.

"And?" Callen prodded.

"And that's all you're going to get," she retorted somewhat teasingly, she knew the man, who was as close to her as a brother as could be, would be going crazy without further knowledge of her dating adventures.

To Callen's credit, he did not prod any further, settling for a loud and dramatic sigh instead, making sure that the female agent knew his annoyance at the lack of information given, but making sure to keep his antics humorous enough to portray that he was begrudgingly okay with getting no other clues about her night.

Sam, having witnessed the entire thing, laughed loudly at his partner's hardship as well as his self-control. He patted him on the shoulder as the three walked out of the building together, ready to solve the case on deck.

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 **A/N: As always, comments, ideas, crituque, etc. is encouraged. I always enjoy reading all of it, even though I might be embarrassingly bad at responding directly to it.**


	20. Painful Memory

**A/N: Thank you so, so much for all the support! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd reach 100 reviews, and especially not this fast, you're all incredible! Hope you'll enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

 **WARNING: There will be mentions of child abuse in this chapter, there will be a bit of forewarning in the story, so you'll be able to stop reading if that is not for you.**

* * *

 **Chapter 20: Painful memory**

The case had been a relatively simple one. The Chief Warrant Officer had been attacked by his newly found girlfriend's ex, a crime of passion that unfortunately ended with a good man losing his life. The case itself had hardly taken more than three hours, the agents had been speaking with the girlfriend when they received a call from the two technical geniuses who had found video surveillance of the attack, catching the ex-boyfriend's face on camera.

The arrest had fortunately been without any trouble, when the man opened his door and saw two agents standing in front of him, he immediately broke down and confessed to everything. He had seen his ex-girlfriend with a new man and had completely lost all control of himself, consumed by rage and jealousy.

An overall tragic case for sure, but having been in the business for so long, this case was somewhat mild compared to a lot of the other things they had seen through the years, as such the three agents were joking with each other as they entered the old Spanish mission once again.

"You guys sure this isn't the quickest case we've solved?" Callen asked.

"I'm sure G.," the larger agent confirmed, "Remember the Petty Officer who crashed his car trying to escape the crime scene?"

"Or that analyst who passed out when we entered her office," Kensi added.

"Okay, okay, geez," the team lead gave in laughing.

The three agents walked into the bullpen, satisfied that their entire weekend was not hijacked by the case, and they at the very least would still have Sunday off to relax.

"A job well done everyone," their operations manager congratulated them. "I do believe this is your what, third fastest case ever if I am not mistaken."

"Told you, G." Sam chuckled at his friend.

"Whatever," he conceded, "Guess first rounds on me, you in?"

"Not tonight, I want to see if I can catch Kamran before she goes to bed," the ex SEAL responded.

"Kensi?" The team lead questioned.

"I'm good, think I'll go home and relax, catch up on some sleep." She shrugged him off.

"And it has nothing to do with a certain date of yours?" He teased goodheartedly, unable to stop himself.

Kensi was somewhat embarrassed at herself over not having thought about Marty during the case. When they had first left the Mission, she had pushed all thoughts about their date to the back of her mind, focusing wholly on the task in front of her. She supposed that was a good thing, having divided attention in her line of work could end up getting someone hurt or killed.

"Nope," she lied a little, she was pretty sure she at least wanted to call 'her date', to set up another one when she got home, but she truly also needed some shuteye. "Just tired, five hours of sleep over three days will do that to you."

"Alright, fair enough," he accepted easily.

Eric and Nell joined them at the bottom of the stairs before they all said their goodbyes and headed their different ways.

...

With the door securely closed and locked behind her, Kensi now found herself in the comfort of her own home once again. She desperately felt in need of a prolonged bath, although they had not done anything physically exhausting during the case, she really just wanted to lay back and wind out a bit before hitting the sack. Although the pull for a purgative bubble bath was strong, what she _really_ wanted to do was to continue the date with the man whom she had now had to cancel on twice.

She grabbed her cellphone and called the man in question before realizing that the time was now well past ten at night. Before she had time to further consider whether or not she would be disrupting his sleep he picked up.

"That was quick," he greeted with a slight chuckle.

"Hey, yeah uhm…" she started elegantly, thrown off balance by his cheeky comment in place of a greeting, "Am I interrupting anything?"

"Not at all, I was just watching a rerun of something," he dismissed her concern.

"Would you mind grabbing a cup of coffee or something?" She asked daringly, not entirely sure where her newfound bluntness came from.

"I'd love to, but…" he started, Kensi felt a knot tightening in her stomach, was he with someone else? Did he not want to see her again? Had she done anything wrong? Before her thoughts went any further he continued, "You were exhausted when we were together earlier today," he stated sweetly.

She was caught completely off guard, she was a trained undercover agent and she had done all she could in order to hide her tiredness from him during their date, yet he had been able to see right through her façade.

"How about you get a real nights sleep and we'll grab coffee or something some time tomorrow if you're up for it?" He suggested, effectively pulling her back to the conversation once more.

The man seemed to be an endless fountain of kindness and consideration, as Kensi had once again been witness to. She felt an incredible calm wash over her, she had only been on a date and a half with the man and yet she already felt a connection stronger than any she could recall within the last few years.

"I think that's a good idea," she conceded.

"Good," he was happy she was not pushing herself further than need be. He really had no idea about the specifics of what tiresome things she had gone through the past week, but he could only imagine that sleep had been somewhat lackluster. "Want me to pick you up same time and place tomorrow?" He questioned.

Kensi shook her head in an automatic response, as if he could see her, "No," she stated. The answer confusing Marty, but before he had any time to further delve on it, she pushed on, "Why don't I pick you up around midday instead?" Her newfound boldness shined through once again.

To say that he was surprised at the suggestion would be an understatement, not in a negative way at all though. Pleasantly surprised at her initiative, although he should have probably expected that coming from a special agent, but Marty had learned early in his dating adventures not to judge a book by its cover and as such he tried not to have preconceptions.

"Uhm, yeah sure, that sounds good." He stumbled over the words, "One o'clock good for you?"

"Yup," she responded immediately, popping the 'p'.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then," she could hear him smiling through the phone.

"Tomorrow," she confirmed.

...

As agreed upon, Kensi arrived in Malibu to pick him up, parking in front of his house just before one o'clock. She appreciated that he did not seem fazed by the fact that she was picking him up, or the fact that he was not driving to where they were going. She could probably count on one hand the amount of dates she had had that would have been okay with that.

They arrived at a tiny, quaint seafood restaurant just by the pier, which Marty had been at a few times. Kensi, of course, being satisfied with most all foods had eagerly agreed and as such they were eating some of the greatest chowder she had ever tasted. Kensi insisted on paying when they were finished eating, reminding her date that he had footed the bill yesterday and it was the least she could do.

After the great lunch they decided to go for a stroll on the beach, they took off their shoes and socks and started walking side by side down the coastline. Kensi was practically beaming when he reached for her hand, as she gladly allowed him to intertwine their fingers, after all she had been the 'touchy' one during their first date, and besides, if he had not done it she most definitely would have.

An hour into their nice, long walk Marty suggested grabbing something to cool them down, Kensi instantly suggested ice cream as she claimed to have gone without any sugar for far too long. Marty just laughed at her antics, making a mental note of the woman's sugary addictions.

Now armed with ice cream, they found a place to sit and people watch. They would make up mostly plausible stories about the passersby, trying to guess what they did for a living, their relationship status and so on. Sometimes they would receive weird looks as Marty had made some rather… _interesting_ assumptions about the people walking by, making both of them laugh loudly.

As the sun started settling the two of them started making their way back to Kensi's Caddy. Just before they reached the car, Kensi's stomach growled loudly, much to the delight of Marty who let out a hearty laugh.

"Guess I better feed you, huh?" He teased, bumping her shoulder with his.

"Anything in mind, counselor?"

"How about the same place as yesterday? We never did get to have that dessert," he suggested.

"As long as you won't pay for everything again," she bumped his shoulder back.

"I think I can live with that," he chuckled before they got into the car.

The burger and shake they both ordered was every bit as good as it had been the day before, and the dessert definitely lived up to those standards as well.

They left together again in Kensi's Cadillac, but not before they had each paid for their part of their meal as per the female agent's request. The traffic was heavy and it took a lot longer than it usually would before they arrived in front of the residence of Marty Deeks.

"So uhm…" Marty started out flawlessly, "You want to come in for a cop of coffee or something, wait for the traffic to die down a bit?"

"Is that going to be your excuse to ask me in?" She laughed.

"I guess it's kinda weak, huh?" He chuckled nervously.

"It is," she laughed at her nervousness. "Marty you don't need an excuse to ask me for a cup of coffee."

"Well in that case," she smirked cheekily, "Coffee?"

"Please," she accepted easily, smiling widely.

A few minutes later had them sitting on the couch, each with a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

"Marty there's something I've been meaning to ask you," she said as he turned to face her completely, "And I know it might be too soon."

"You can ask me anything, Kens," he reassured her, reaching for her hand, which she allowed him to do.

"It's just that… in the boat shed back when… you know," she was nervous.

He sighed deeply, having a good idea of where this conversation was leading.

"When we were in the interrogation room, and Sam and Callen asked you…" she let the sentence drift off.

"You want to know about me shooting someone." He stated simply, but his expression was pained and solemn.

She looked him in the eyes, those usually happy blue orbs was now pained with a glistering layer of unshed tears already appearing. Seeing the pained expression on his face, she felt her own eyes starting to sting in anticipation, as she blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay.

"If you don't want to tell me that's okay," she tried to reassure him, squeezing his hand to emphasize what she just said, happy that he had not pulled it away. Knowing that she had caused the pain he was currently feeling was overwhelming as she could see his mind running a million miles an hour, and she already regretted asking the question even though she really had wanted to know.

"No you deserve to know," he dismissed her opening for him to leave the subject alone. Logically he had known that she would want to know, and maybe even for security reasons _had_ to know, being a special agent and all.

"I was eleven years old," he started after a moment of uncomfortable silence before the floodgates opened. He had held it in for so many years, and even though he had not known the beautiful woman sitting next to him for long, he trusted her implicitly.

"I had just gotten home from music class, and good ol' Gordon was more drunk than usual." He chuckled humorously, "My mom already had new bruises forming, and I knew I'd be next."

Kensi sat silently, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks. She wanted to hold him, wanted to comfort him, wanted to take away all the pain he was currently feeling, but she knew not to interrupt him, and as such she let him continue as she settled for squeezing his hand even more.

"Being a punching bag was nothing new, but somehow it just seemed worse that day. I later found out that he'd been fired and was taking it out on us." He sighed deeply and squeezed his eyes shut, unable to keep his own tears away anymore.

He continued more shakily that before, "After he was finished beating the shit out of me, he uhm… he went and grabbed a shotgun. I ran to my room as fast as my newly acquired sprained ankle let me. A friend of mine had given me a gun a few months prior, he knew what was happening at home and he wanted me to be able to protect myself."

Kensi felt her throat tighten, she had a good indication where the story was going. The confident man who had been sitting in front of her moments ago had vanished, and left was this timid, sobbing child, who had been through so much he never should have. A textbook definition of a tortured soul.

He was able to fight back the sobs enough to continue after a few moments, "When I… when I grabbed the revolver I heard the weapon go off. I rushed to the living room, but she was already lying there on the floor, Gordon standing over her."

He stopped the story unable to continue. Now fully crying, letting all the pent up emotions out, Kensi embraced him, tucking his head securely against her chest as he clung onto her for dear life, shaking uncontrollably. She now knew that the anger he had shown in the boatshed had been a way of shielding himself from all the hurt that he had had to endure.

When the crying had returned to quiet sobbing and only his chest was heaving instead of his entire body, he attempted to continue.

"When I saw him standing over her-"

"You don't have to continue, Marty," She tried interrupting him, not wanting him to continue going down this avenue of sorrow and despair.

"I need to." He affirmed, "This once and then never again."

When he felt Kensi nodding on top of his head, he continued the story for the first and last time.

"When I saw him standing over her body I instantly knew what had happened. He'd shot her… and then he started turning around, he must've heard me returning. I knew he would shoot me next and I just lost it, I aimed at him and… and I fired. The recoil hurt so much, but I just kept firing and firing until I had no bullets left and even then I still kept trying to fire at him."

"You defended yourself, Marty, it was self defense," she tried to reassure him, her hand running through his hair in a calming manner.

"I wish I could have defended her," he whispered, his voice hoarse from the crying.

"I know," she assured him, "I know."

"The police finally came and tried to calm me until child services arrived."

"What then?" She prodded when she realized he was not going to continue.

"I went into foster care."

"Your mom?" She asked, dreading the answer she knew was coming.

He sighed deeply, confirming her fear before speaking. "Didn't make it… luckily neither did Gordon."

"Your dad?"

"I wouldn't exactly call him that, but… yeah."

They sat in the quiet for a long time, Kensi continuing to run her hand through his unruly hair as her other hand drew mindless patterns on his back. It was Marty who finally broke the silence once more.

"You should probably go, it's getting late and you have work tomorrow."

She pushed him away only enough to be able to see into his reddened eyes, "I'm not going anywhere tonight, Marty."

He allowed himself a small smile, "Thank you."

The evening ended with the two of them falling asleep on the couch, entangled together as they had reveled in the comforting company, before they had finally succumbed to the emotional exhaustion.

* * *

 **A/N: So... too much hurt and emotions? What do you think, I'd love to hear some input on it :)**


	21. Relationship

**A/N: I'm starting to sound like a broken record here, but I really do appreciate all you awesome people who continue to read the story, and especially you awesome folks reviewing it as well.**

 **A/N2: 'The artist formally known as "me"' - Since you don't have an account I have to write to you here; I really do appreciate all your support, you continuously give me food for though, thanks!**

 **A/N3: Slight change to 2nd last sentence, curtesy of Guest :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 21: Relationship**

She slowly arose from her slumber, she knew it was still quite early in the morning, seeing as how the alarm on her phone had yet to sound. Kensi stretched her entire body lazily, sleeping on the couch might have been the best for Marty yesterday, but right now the kinks in her neck and back would disagree with her decision.

Her thoughts went to the man, she was sure she could hear rummaging in what she remembered to be the kitchen. She thought of the hardship he must have gone through as a young child, the fear he must have lived with, when beatings from ones own father was a daily occurrence. It almost seemed unfathomable to her, seeing as how Kensi had absolutely worshipped her father as a child, and to many degrees still did as an adult.

She thought about the prior evening, to how Marty had opened up to her and spilled his dark past, laid it all on the table in a display of pure trust. Trust that she would understand, trust that she would accept, and most importantly to her, trust that she would support and comfort him. She had. She told him yesterday, that she was not going anywhere _tonight_ , but truthfully she could have left out the tonight part, because she really enjoyed the company of the man and how he continuously made her feel, she really cared for _him_. Nope, she would not be going anywhere.

With that settled in her mind, she gingerly rose from the couch and made her way towards the kitchen. She took a moment to just look at the form in front of her. He was easily maneuvering through the kitchen, making what smelled distinctly like bacon and eggs. She allowed herself a moment to just stand and enjoy the scene in front of her. After the emotional drain that yesterday brought, it was nice to just stand and revel in how domestic the scene seemed.

"Morning," he greeted, his back still turned to her.

Kensi felt her cheeks heat at being caught staring at him, instead of defending herself or coming with some sort of excuse, she walked over to him and hugged him from behind.

"Good morning," she replied, as he leaned back into her.

"Sleep well?"

"Mmh," she mumbled into his back, as an overall feeling of contentedness filled her.

He turned around in her embrace, and tenderly pushed a tendril of hair behind her ear as he stared into her beautiful mismatched eyes, and in that moment the universe ceased to exist, and it was just a boy and a girl content being right there in each other's arms. After a moment, the spell was broken when Kensi's stomach growled loudly, causing a hearty laugh from both of them.

"Good thing I thought I'd make you breakfast, you know, to say thanks for yesterday." He shrugged a bit nonchalantly.

"You don't have to thank me for that, Marty," she started, taking a step back to place her hands firmly on his shoulders to emphasize what she was saying. "Besides, I should be the one thanking you."

He looked at her quizzically, "Thank me for what?"

"For sharing it with me," it was her turn to shrug somewhat nonchalantly.

"Kens-" was all he was able to say before she interrupted.

"No… look, I can only imagine how hard it was for you to share that… and how much trust it took. I really do appreciate it, Marty."

She _really_ hoped that she would be able to show him how much it meant to her, that he had pushed through and shared the worst part of his childhood with her. She knew how hard it was for her to open up, she had towering walls surrounding her inner feelings, and for her to share some of the tragic happens in her life would take an almost unfathomable amount of trust, and she had felt that Marty was much the same.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when the man in front of her spoke, his voice a lot quieter than before, uncertainty seeping from his words, "So it doesn't change how you look at me?"

She shook her head so fast she was sure it would disconnect, "Not in the way you think."

He looked at her doubtfully, unable to speak, afraid of what would come next from her.

"Yes I feel sorry for the small kid you once was, but I also think I know you well enough to know that you don't want any pity," she said calmly, attempting to explain herself. "It makes me admire you so much more for man you have become today." She looked right at into his blue orbs as she told him the last part, and could see that he was struggling with accepting what she had just said.

"And it makes me feel humble, that you shared it with me," she finally added shyly.

He just stood frozen in place, looking into her hazel and brown eyes, his expression slowly changing from one of doubt and uncertainty to one of pure appreciation.

Kensi noticed the change, and took that as her sign, as she leaned up towards him, placing a tender kiss of his lips.

"Thank you," he whispered after their lips had parted once more, leaning his head against hers.

"Now… let's get some breakfast, can't have you cook me all that only to let it burn," she said humorously, giving him a way out of the suddenly very intense situation using what she expected he usually did, humor.

...

She ate breakfast with Marty before leaving the charming lawyer with a kiss and a promise to call him at the end of her day. She needed to first head towards her own apartment for a shower and a change of clothes before finally heading towards the old Spanish mission. It was a few minutes past nine when she pulled up in front of the building, not too late but still out of character of her.

"How come you're late?" Sam asked non-confronting from across his desk after she was sitting too.

Kensi looked at her watch before answering, "It's only five minutes."

"That doesn't answer my question," he replied teasingly.

"Traffic was bad."

"I arrived pretty late today and there was actually less traffic than usual," Callen countered, now joining in on the conversation.

"I guess we took different routes," she shrugged knowing that her argument was weak.

"Or… maybe you were somewhere else this morning?" The team lead half joked, half asked.

The female agent considered all of her options. She could continue to deny being anywhere but her apartment this morning, but she knew that most lies would be easily detected by her two friends, her other option would be to could come clean but not tell with whom or where.

"Maybe I was," she shrugged as nonchalantly as possible.

"And what was his name?" Sam prodded, still using the same teasing voice as if he was just barely holding back a chuckle.

"Who says I wasn't at one of my girlfriend's places?"

"We deduced it weren't," Callen chuckled, amused by her reluctance to reveal anything.

She decided that honesty would once again be the best way to get the two men off her back, knowing that with just enough information to keep them satisfied, but with anything identifying kept from them, she would be able to keep them at bay.

"Alright, maybe I weren't with a girlfriend," she conceded, knowing it would throw them off that she admitted that.

"Kensi, we know you weren't… wait what?" As expected, Callen had already prepared a counterargument, which she had just rendered unnecessary.

"And your new friends name is?" Sam asked genuinely curious.

"None of your business," she countered, trying not to sound too harsh.

It was not that she embarrassed about seeing Marty, not in the slightest actually, nor was she embarrassed about having spent the night there, after all nothing had happened. Well, not nothing, a lot had actually happened during the evening, but nothing in the way that her two friends would assume. Generally she did not want her two teammates to know about any dating adventures, and now it was specifically true with the history they shared after a certain event at the boatshed. An event she still got annoyed to the point of being angry over.

Before any more prodding and questioning could take place, a shrill sounded from above. Eric hanging over the railing whistling some random tune much to the annoyance of his coworkers.

...

It was far into the evening before she was finally able to head home, she had been able to steal a few minutes during the afternoon to send a text to Marty telling him that it could possibly be a long night, and as such she might not be able to call until Tuesday. He, of course, was being his amazing self and was ever so understanding of her hours, he just told her to call whenever she was able to and to stay safe.

The case was not over, but with nothing else to do before daylight, Hetty had sent her agents and analysts home, to have them return again well rested bright and early in the morning.

...

It took until early afternoon Thursday before they were finally able to shut down the weapons deal which involved two Marines, whom had been stealing weapons to sell to local street gangs. The case ended with a gunfight with those same weapons, but besides a need for extensive body work on the SUV the agents had arrived in, everything was good, three bad guys down and two arrested.

The remaining few hours of the afternoon was spent filling out the paperwork related to the case, before they were finally off, with Hetty surprisingly giving them Friday off to make up for the all-nighter they had pulled during the case.

"So you going to see your new friend this weekend?" Callen asked casually, as the three agents walked out of OSP together.

"Why are you so interested in my love life?" She asked a little harsher than she had wanted to.

"G. doesn't have one himself, he needs something to be interested in," Sam laughed, easing away from the hasher tone.

"Hey, that's not true!" He attempted to dismiss, but his smile gave him away.

"Oh, are you seeing someone, Callen?" Kensi laughed, it always felt good when the tables turned against someone else.

"No he's not," The bigger guy answered for his partner before patting him on the back.

...

Sitting on her couch, freshly showered with a cold beer, Kensi was just about ready to kick up her feet and relax with some mind numbing Top Model, when she heard a knock on her door. She paused the pre-recorded episode and walked to the door, looking through the door viewer before opening, she could see the shaggy mop that characterized the man who… she had forgotten to call.

She opened the door, and was unable to keep a smile at bay once she saw him. He was standing in a charcoal suit with a loosed tie, holding two pizzas in one hand and a six-pack in the other.

"Hey."

"Hi there," she greeted him bashfully.

"Thought you might be hungry," he nodded towards the pizzas in his right hand.

"And what if I had already eaten?" She joked.

"Hmm… guess I'd have to go ask your neighbor then," he easily joked back.

She pulled him inside pecking him on the lips before ushering him towards the living room. They shared the meal on her couch, watching Top Model as they commented on the different outfits the women were wearing, as well as laughed at all the way over the top crying.

"Did you really drive all the way from Malibu to here? You didn't even know if I'd be home." She asked incredulously after they were done eating. The question had been at the back of her mind, but she had been unable to ask until now.

"Well I was in the area because of some work stuff, so I thought I'd drop by to see if you were home."

"I'm sorry about not calling you," she suddenly changed subject.

"Kens, stop apologizing for stuff like that, I've already told you I understand. You have a hectic job to say the least," he chuckled.

"I do… but I should have been able to write a text explaining at the very least."

"Well, you did write _one_ this Monday," he teased, earning him a playful swat on the shoulder.

She leaned into him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, he placed a kiss on the top of her head before returning to content silence.

"Do you have to work tomorrow?" She suddenly broke the quiet.

"I have a few things I need to do, but nothing that can't be done from home."

"Good," was the only reply he received as she stretched her neck in order to be able to crash her lips against his.

They parted when breath became a necessity, both panting heavily, somewhat surprised by their sudden heat and wanting. They just sat there, getting lost in each other's eyes for a moment before Marty spoke up.

"I don't want to rush this," he whispered loudly.

He was met with his answer as she brought their lips together once more, her hands settling at the nape of his neck as she pulled him down to deepen the kiss. She nibbled at his lips asking for entrance, which he gladly gave her. She let her hands drift freely from his neck to his toned stomach, before they settled at the top of his shirt, working on undoing the first button.

Marty pulled away slightly, his voice now husky, "Kens, we don't have to do this," the lust in his eyes deceived his words.

"I know," she said pecking his lips before finishing unbuttoning the shirt. She stood up, grabbing his hand and led him towards the bedroom, with a lot more swing in her hips than she usually would.

He did not leave before the next morning.

* * *

 **Yay? Nay? Too much?**


	22. Annoyance

**A/N: Oh boy! The support has been absolutely insane, so many great reviews and even more who keep reading the story, _thank you_! Hope you'll enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 22: Annoyance**

It had been the best weekend in recent memories. Kensi and Marty had been together for the entire weekend, like a pair of lovesick birds unable to be parted for more than a few minutes. Even when Marty had needed to spend a few hours to finish a legal document, she had joined him on his oversized lounger outside, curled into his side for a nap whilst he was working. It had been distracting, sure, but he had not wanted it any other way.

The days had consisted of going to the beach, where she joined him in his daily morning ritual of surfing, and when it got too cold for her, she relaxed on the beach, sitting on a towel scratching Monty behind his ears, whilst she was watching her man battle the waves. They spent their evenings enjoying one of the lawyer's home cooked meals, with the, according to Kensi, obligatory Rocky Road ice cream for dessert, before hunkering down for the evening on Marty's couch, watching some terrible reality show. They had reveled in the overall domestic feeling being together brought them, and they, of course, spent numerous hours in the bedroom together, making sure they _really_ got to know each other.

"Morning," Marty whispered into her hair when he felt her starting to rouse, before pressing a kiss to her naked shoulder.

He had not been awake for more than a few minutes, but instead of getting out of bed to make breakfast, he had selfishly decided to stay in bed, holding the woman he cared deeply about for just a few more minutes. After all, the weekend was over and they would have to go their separate ways before long.

"Mmh, too early," Kensi sleepily replied before scooting even closer to the man spooning her.

He chuckled at her sleepy antics, she was most definitely _not_ a morning person. He pressed another tender kiss to her shoulder blade, "It's Monday, and as much as I hate to say it, we need to get up and going."

She turned around in his embrace before pouting, "Can't we just stay here?"

"Nope," he playfully replied, before a mischievous grin spread on his face, "I'm going to take a shower, feel free to join, you know to conserve water and whatnot."

"Because you're totally going to run out of water," she countered.

"I'm an environmentalist, what can I say?" He laughed, as he walked slowly towards his en-suite bathroom. Just before entering he looked back over his shoulder to see a pair of beautifully mismatched eyes watching his every move.

"I'm walking away, but I'm doing it slow enough for you to catch me," he called over his shoulder in a sing-songy voice.

And with that the last of her tiredness vanished overtaken by something much more powerful, she quickly forced herself to get up to join _her_ man.

...

Kensi cursed herself for their extracurricular activity in the shower that morning, since she was now once again trotting into the bullpen nearly ten minutes late. This time traffic really had been the issue, since she did not need to stop by her own apartment before coming in, but she highly doubted that either Sam or Callen would buy that excuse.

As she walked around the corner towards the bullpen, she attempted to put on an annoyed expression, but after a weekend in her personal heaven, she was unable to pull it off, as a wide smile was constantly plastered on her face. She saw Callen wearing an amused smile as she walked to her desk, Sam, too, stopped to put down the document he was currently reading in order to look at their female friend.

"No case?" She tried distracting, still unable to stop smiling.

"Is this going to be a regular occurrence?" The lead agent completely ignored her inquiry.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," she feigned ignorance.

"Coming in late after spending the night with your new friend."

"Traffic actually _was_ bad today," she attempted the excuse, knowing that denying spending the night with Marty would not work.

"Right," he humored her, dragging out the word before asking, "Are we going to get his name some time soon?"

"No," she said a bit too quickly, her smile faltering slightly, as her subconscious was trying to protect the man she was falling for from further hurt.

"Why not?" Sam prodded as softly as the ex-Navy SEAL was able to. He did not care to know the name as much as his partner, but he had noticed the quick change in demeanor of the woman.

"I just…" she started, but struggled to find an adequate excuse for her protectiveness of his name, "Want him a bit to myself, that's all," she finally shrugged off the question.

"Are you sure?" Sam continued his soft questioning, still feeling like there was some other underlying reason.

"I am. I can take care of myself, Sam. Nothing is wrong." She knew that it was a bit of a cheap shot, using her own ability of self-preservation against her male teammates.

"We know you can," Callen interfered the conversation, "But we'll still look out for you."

"You know you can tell us if something's bothering you, right?" Sam continued for his partner.

She cocked her head towards the larger agent, trying to figure out what he was getting at. Surely they could not be thinking, that she would not disclose the name because of anything negative, after the smile she was wearing, when she walked into the building. But they were federal agents, and had without a doubt picked up on her uncomfortable tone during the conversation

"Why would anything be bothering me?" She asked, thinking that the best way to get her answer was to just ask the source directly.

"You've just been much more secretive about your dating, after you started seeing _this_ guy," Sam calmly explained.

"What are you insinuating, Sam?" She asked more harshly than before.

"Nothing," he quickly defended, wincing at her change of tone.

"We're just worried about you," Callen chimed in.

"I can-"

"Take care of yourself, yeah, we know," he finished the sentence for her, "But that doesn't mean we can't worry. You'd tell us if there was anything wrong, right?"

"Maybe I just want this for myself, Sam hid _having a wife_ until it came up in a case, Callen, and suddenly I'm not allowed to _not_ tell you the name of the guy I'm seeing? Nice double standard you've got there."

"That's not fair, Kensi" Sam felt the need to defend himself.

"Like hell it is," her annoyance started growing towards anger. "You get to hide a big part of your life from me, but I'm expected to _instantly_ tell you about any changes in mine," she spat, before taking a deep, calming breath. She continued softer than before, but the tinge of anger still lingered in her words, "I don't want you to know his name, because I don't want you two to run around and check him out or hurt hi-"

"Ms. Blye, a moment in my office, please?" Hetty had materialized before she could finish her sentence.

Upon another deep breath, she walked towards their operation manager's open office, leaving her two colleagues confused and nervous of what just happened. Sam did have the decency to feel bad, after all he _had_ been hiding a big part of his life from her, and him and Callen _had_ promised not to prod so much about her dating life. A promise they had recently forgotten how to keep.

Callen, too, was feeling a tinge of regret as the female agent left the bullpen. It was not that she could not take care of herself, she had proved her abilities many times over, but the fact that she did not want to disclose _any_ information about the man whom she was seeing was a bit worrying to him. Usually they would at least get to know the career choice, or something of the like, of the guy whom she was seeing. He decided to cut back on the prodding and apologize for pushing, hopeful that would show her, that they just cared about her wellbeing, and that she would open up once she was ready to do so.

"What can I do for you, Hetty?" She asked, standing in front of her desk.

"Have a seat, dear," the tiny woman gestured to the chair next to the female agent.

Kensi reluctantly sat down in the chair that was tactically placed, so that anyone who was sitting in it would be looking up on the tiny woman sitting across the desk.

"What can I do for you, Hetty?" She repeated her question.

"It would appear that your team is worried about your newfound dating life," she stated.

"Not you, too. Hetty, look, there's nothing going on," she was starting to get even more annoyed at the entire situation.

"I know, dear," Hetty replied, a small smile on her lips, "And how is Mr. Deeks doing today?"

"He's… wait, how do _you_ know?" The younger woman asked incredulously.

"I wouldn't be doing my job right, if I did not know what my agents were up to," she shrugged off.

"He's uhm… he's good," Kensi finally answered, completely thrown off that the operations manager already knew about her newfound love life, although she really should have expected it.

"But you don't want the members of your team to know, because of what happened in the boatshed between them and Mr. Deeks?" Hetty analyzed.

"Something like that," she conceded.

"You know that you cannot keep this hidden from them forever," Hetty gently stated.

"I know, and I won't… but for now I just want to figure him and me out, before I, we," she corrected, "Need to figure out how to mend that fence between Marty and Sam and Callen."

"And that is your decision to make, Ms. Blye," she nodded, "But I would advice you to do it sooner rather than later, you know how persistent your colleagues can be."

"I do, yeah," she chuckled thinking at the stubbornness of both her friends.

"Have you considered asking Mr. Deeks of his opinion in this? After all it does affect him as well, dear." Hetty suggested.

"You know what? I think I will," the young agent proclaimed as she stood up, "And I appreciate it, Hetty," she thanked her boss before walking back towards the bullpen, in somewhat of a better mood, but still annoyed at the persistent prodding.

...

After her chat with Hetty earlier in the day, she was not entirely sure how she felt, after all the operations manager had hit the nail on the head, in regards to why she did not want to disclose whom she was seeing. The day had been spent doing paperwork, the tension in the room after she had returned from Hetty's office had been palpable. Sure, both Sam and Callen had apologized for pushing so much for information, but she had shrugged them off for the moment, still unsure of how to react.

She had left work in a hurry, and now Kensi had parked her car and walked towards the large building in front of her. As she used the doorbell, she could hear shuffling from inside, and moments later the door opened in front of her.

"Hey," she shyly greeted the man.

"Kensi, I didn't know you were coming over," he smiled widely, but his smile faltered quickly as he saw her saddened expression.

"What's wrong?" He prodded, concern evident in his voice.

"Can I… can I come in?" She asked, blinking a few times at the sting in her eyes.

"Of course, always, Kens." He softly answered, stepping aside to give her room to enter. He closed and locked the door behind her, before leading her towards his couch.

"Rough day, huh?" Marty commented, as he took her hands in his.

"Something like that," she mumbled, not looking up at the man sitting next to her yet.

"Want to talk about it?" He prodded thoughtfully, his voice was soft and calm.

There was a moment of silence, he could see that she was working over whatever had happened in her head, and as such he gave her the time needed to process it, caressing her hands with his thumbs, offering whatever comfort he could until she finally spoke up.

"They were asking about you today," she blurted out.

"About me?" He questioned, not entirely following yet.

"Well, not about you per se. But they know that I'm seeing someone, and they just kept pushing and prodding for information." She exasperated, clearly frustrated with it.

"They being…?" He asked, still not entirely sure whom she was talking about.

"Callen and Sam," she finally looked up at him, and upon seeing his questioning expression she elaborated carefully, not entirely sure how he would react. "My two teammates, you've uhm… you've met them before."

An audible intake of air let her know, that he _definitely_ had _not_ forgotten about the less than stellar last time he saw the two agents in question. It was her time to offer comfort, as she let go with one of her hands in order to caress his forearm. She knew his thoughts would, at least for a brief moment, wonder back to when he was a frightened eleven year old, who had to do an unspeakable thing in order to save his own life.

As she continued to look at his pained expression concernedly, she realized, that all the annoyance and anger she had felt throughout the day had not really been because _she_ was annoyed or angry, no, it had been because she had wanted to shield her newly found boyfriend. She allowed herself a shy smile, they had yet to voice out loud what they actually were to one another.

"It wasn't all bad," he finally stated, breaking her out of her reverie.

"What?"

"In the boatshed, it wasn't all bad." He attempted to clarify, but could see that he had just confused Kensi more, and as such continued to elaborate, but not before grabbing hold of both her hands once more, grounding her with him.

"Their wild accusations hurt, sure, a lot actually," he pushed on before she was able to get a word in, " _But_ , we did have a nice talk prior to that, and without the accusations we wouldn't have had the talk that we had Sunday last week, and I really feel that brought us closer together."

"It did," she slowly nodded.

"I'm glad," he breathed, barely audible.

"So… you're saying it was worth it?" She felt the knot in her stomach slowly being undone.

"Something like that, yeah," he chuckled.

Kensi scooted closer to him, and he leaned back, easily accommodated her body by lazily flinging his arm over her shoulders, as she rested her head against his side. He leaned his head on hers after placing a kiss into her hair, and they sat in content silence for a while.

The tightening feeling she had felt in her stomach throughout the day had finally dissipated, her teammates had hurt the man she cared about the most in the World, but now knowing that they had not done irreparable damage was such a relief to her. Marty and her team was the two most important things to her, and even though they had not discussed what she would tell her teammates, just knowing that the two parties might be able to get along at some point was such a comfort to her. And with that last thought, she cuddled even closer to Marty, as she felt the last of her worries disappear.


	23. Titles

**A/N: Still sounding like a broken record here, but _thank you so much_ for all the support. It's still incredibly mind boggling and humbling to see all the great responses.**

* * *

 **Chapter 23: Titles**

After she had gotten rid of her worry about her team knowing about Marty, and more specifically, the worry about the possibility of them meeting him in the future, she had asked the man in question how he thought she should go about telling her team, that she just needed some time with him without them knowing everything. He had been apprehensive about giving her advice about how to handle her coworkers at first, but she had finally convinced him. She explained that she knew, he would never do anything to create a rift in her team, and half-jokingly stated, that since he was a lawyer he would naturally be good at helping her find a way to word her thoughts neutrally.

She walked into the old Spanish Mission in good time, no way had she wanted to be late after what happened the day prior. She had been up before six o'clock, much to the dismay of the man sleeping next to her. With a peck on the lips and a reminder that he now had extra time to go surf, he had gotten up with her and made the two of them some quick breakfast, before she made her way from Malibu.

Only Callen was in before her, which suited her perfectly. It always seemed easier to explain it to one of the two men, and then let him explain it to the other, rather than explaining it to both at the same time, weird, but that is how she felt.

"Good morning," she greeted the team leader.

He looked at her quizzically, not only because of the early hour, but also because of the unexpected cheerfulness in her voice. "Morning Kensi," he finally greeted back.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Callen mindlessly working on whatever paperwork in front of him, and Kensi was sitting staring at her laptop's screen without getting anything done. She was thinking back to last night, where Marty had helped her realize, that in order for him and her team to have a real chance at a friendship, _she_ would first have to forgive them for what they did. After a few more minutes of mindlessly staring into the screen, she figured out how she wanted to word her sentence. She cleared her throat slightly, catching the attention of the man whom she shared her desk with.

"I'm sorry about snapping a bit, yesterday," she started calmly.

"You're good," he told her after getting over his surprise at the apology. "We shouldn't have pushed you."

"No, you shouldn't," she agreed. "But I still shouldn't have snapped either."

"We were both at fault then," the team lead conceded.

"Equal liability," she agreed, before immediately regretting it. It was one of the things, Marty had jokingly said a few times over the weekend, when they had both been at fault of something. At one point he had he had dropped a bowl of ice cream onto the floor because she was tickling him. He had playfully blamed her, and she had countered by telling him, that he should have held on to the bowl better, to which he laughingly answered, 'fine, equal liability then'.

"Equal what?"

"Liability," she sighed, knowing that the lead agent would not stop until he knew.

"That sounds very… lawyer-esque," Callen commented, lifting one of his eyebrows questioning.

"That would make sense, since he's a lawyer," she replied drily. She had not actually planned to divulge any information, but a little would not hurt, and she figured that it might help mend fences. She had talked with Marty about the whole thing, and he said that in general, it would often help to divulge a small amount of significant information, but only so much, so that she could control what and how much. It seemed like she subconsciously had used his advice.

Callen looked at her incredulously, not entirely sure, he had heard her correctly. She had just given him some information about the man whom she was seeing, and add to that the fact that he was a lawyer.

"The guy you're dating?" He wanted to be sure.

"Yup," she answered easily, feeling a bit of relief at being able to allow herself to give him a bit of information.

"And he's a lawyer?" Callen continued, seemingly working his brain around the fact.

"Yup," the same answer sounded again.

"I thought you hated lawyers after Corby?" He finally asked, referring to the JAG lawyer who had flirted with Kensi, even going so far to hastily sending her flowers. Of course, the whole case ended with him holding the female agent at gunpoint, where the team had eventually taken him down in the middle of a train station. That specific case hit a little too close to home for Callen as well, and he dreaded remembering it.

"I kind of did, but…" she drifted off.

"He's different," Callen finished for her.

"I'd like to think so, yeah." She answered softly.

Any follow up questions were interrupted when Sam entered the bullpen, greeting both his teammates a good morning. He did not even get a chance to take a seat before Eric's loud shrill sounded in the old building, the annoying but effective signal, that there was a case on deck.

...

It felt like the case had been the slowest ever, but she knew that although the case was above average in length, that certainly was not the case. They had managed to solve the murder of a Petty Officer, who had gotten in too deep with the wrong crowd just before noon, Saturday. It had taken two all-nighters as well as a few minor undercover jobs, before the team were finally able to figure out who had stabbed the poor sailor in a dark alleyway.

It had been a painstakingly long four and a half days for Kensi, when all she had wanted was to spend more time with her newfound… boyfriend? They had yet to figure out the exact titles, but the point was she wanted to spend more time with _him_. Time to enjoy themselves without a care in the world, time to figure stuff out, like the title on their _thing_.

Callen and Sam had decided not to push for further information on the new man in Kensi's life, whether or not it was because they had been so preoccupied with the case or because they, for the time being, were satisfied with the little information she had given Tuesday morning, she did not know.

Although she had been unable to see Marty for almost five tortuously long days, she _had_ remembered to text him, earning her both kindhearted teasing and gratification for remembering to keep him updated. She had even called him the three evenings Hetty had sent the team home to recharge their batteries, but because of the female agent's energy level, the conversations were kept light and fairly short in length. Even though the short length of the calls, they had been _exactly_ what she had needed to really push through the otherwise straining days.

Continuing the trend of remembering to send a text message, she sent him one just before leaving the old Spanish Mission, telling him that she was available for the rest of the weekend.

Marty, who had been resigned to not being able to spend any time with her that weekend, had, obviously, been cheerful about her case being solved. Even though the lawyer really, _really_ wanted to spend more time with the woman of his dreams, he urged her to take a nap before they would see each other, he knew through her phone calls and texts how exhausting the case had been, and did not want her to be too tired and burnt out.

...

She had to agree, that a nap had definitely been needed, and after a quick shower she felt somewhat refreshed after working through the night. She considered quickly calling Marty, but decided to drive there unannounced, when she remembered how happily surprised he had been Monday evening when she had just dropped by… until they had the discussion about her team's prodding about him that was.

As such, she once again found herself at his doorsteps, ready to pay the captivating man a surprise visit. Upon waiting at the front door for a few minutes with no answer, she started to worry. The man had not only been targeted once, but _twice_ by a ruthless group for hire, and as such, Kensi's protective mind was on overdrive.

She grabbed her weapon from the small on her back, holding it right in front of her, ready to neutralize any potential threat that might appear. Silently, she started moving around the house, through the small gate, and into the backyard.

The sight that greeted her upon entering the backyard made her heart skip, and an overall sense of relief filled her. Securing her gun, Kensi placed it back to her small, and silently made her way up the few wooden stairs and onto the deck. Marty was laying sprawled out on one of the two oversized loungers on his deck, a heap of papers currently on his stomach as his chest rhythmically moved up and down. She choked back a laugh at the sight, not wanting to wake him up just yet, he had obviously fallen asleep when going over some work related document.

She carefully say by his side and tenderly pushed the golden locks out of his eyes before placing a kiss on his forehead, rousing him from his sleep. She closely studied his sleepy expression, as he slowly returned to the land of the conscious, his eyes still closed as he yawned widely before smacking his lips.

She thought he had fallen asleep again, when he had not opened his eyes after a minute, which almost caused her to jump from surprise once he spoke.

"I thought you were going to call," he commented, obviously able to feel her presence besides him.

She felt a grin spreading on her face, "I thought I'd surprise you."

"It worked," he chuckled. Eyes still closed, he was content with not moving, whilst she let her hands run through his unruly, golden locks.

"Are you just going to lie there all day?" She asked.

"It's nice here," he drawled, sleep still not completely out of his voice.

"We can't stay here all day," she stated jokingly.

There was a small silence before Marty suddenly rose, quickly flipping the unsuspecting Kensi onto her back before he was hovering above her on the lounger, resting on his knees and hands.

"I could stay _here_ all day, though," he mischievously commented, making heat rise to her cheeks and collarbone.

He waited for a chastising comment, but it never came. Words had failed her at the surprisingly quick change in atmosphere. The heat between them was palpable and although her voice was gone, she loved every second of it.

He slowly moved his lips towards hers, but right before they met, her stomach growled loudly, pulling both out of their dreamlike state.

He chuckled, before quickly pecking her lips, "I guess I need to make my girlfriend some food, huh?" He commented, freezing right after realizing what he said. "I mean uhm…" he made a poor attempt at backpedaling.

It was her turn to chuckle, or rather, giggle actually. She grabbed the collar of his polo shirt, pulling him down to her, fusing her lips with his in a deep and compassionate kiss. When they finally parted, she spoke softly, "I kind of like that I'm your girlfriend."

"Me too," he whispered back, his voice husky from appreciation and wanting.

He pulled her up off the lounger and into his arms, as he carried her into the house. Lunch was a long forgotten memory.

* * *

 **Too cheesy and fluffy ending to the chapter?**


	24. Hostages

**A/N: You guys are absolutely amazing, continuously blowing by mind by your incredible support! Thank you so, _so_ much! And hope you'll enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 24: Hostages**

Over the weekend, she had really been pushing the idea that because she, and now because of their newfound association, he, had to change their routines daily, in an effort to make sure not to be predictable. She had already told him, that he was not supposed to tell people that she was a special agent, but rather inform them, that she was an executive assistant at a biometric technology company, as that ensured she could not talk about her work in any detail.

Teasingly, he had gone _all-in_ on what he had jokingly called 'the super-secret agent way of life,' when she had brought it up, much to the annoyance and amusement of Kensi. He had not only listened intently as she spoke about the way she constantly changed her routine, but had been adamant that they implement _further_ security measures, like a secret code word.

At first, Kensi thought he was pulling her leg, but once she realized that he was quite serious, she started to think about it more thoroughly. Thinking about it for a moment before coming to the conclusion, that the word should be something that they would not ordinarily use and it should be something they could say in front of others without the strangers catching on to it.

She felt regret emerging when she saw the cheeky grin on his face, mischief twinkling in his ocean blue eyes before he proudly voiced, "Sugarbear."

Kensi attempted a scolding glare, but was unable to keep her smile at bay, his cheeky antics should not have been able to surprise her by now, but he still caught her off-guard a few times. She could not really chastise him for the choice of word either, after all, it did make sense as it was a term of endearment, albeit a somewhat strange one. It could also be said in front of a stranger because, although it sounded slightly out of the ordinary, it was not something people would think twice about if he called her that in a public setting.

"And your word will be 'Casanova,' since, you know, I'm a sexy and romantic man," he finished the sentence with a mischievous wink.

...

The last three weeks had felt like they had flown by thanks to work being busy without being overly so, and because pretty much all her spare time had been spent with the man who now bore the title of boyfriend. They had made sure to change up which place they were at every so often, bringing Monty whenever they were at Kensi's place, since she had really taken to the mutt and felt bad that he would have to be at Deeks' neighbors so often otherwise.

The team had noticed the change in the woman. She had become more relaxed, less uptight, and she came in wearing a wide smile more mornings than not, although she had made sure _not_ to repeat the two days of coming in late, no need to give her two colleagues any reasons to make comments.

When she slowly roused and felt the familiar strong arms protectively wrapped around her midsection from the umpteenth time, it still felt as good as the first time, waking up, feeling the comfortable weight of his arm had become a necessity for any good morning.

The morning was not unlike many others, the new couple had shared the past few weeks. An early start to the day to catch a few waves, before heading back to his house for some breakfast frittatas and parting ways towards work, making sure to kiss each other goodbye.

As she drove into the parking lot at work, she could not stop thinking about one of the more amusing conversations she had had with Marty yesterday. The silly thought ensured that she, once again, walked into the building with a dumb grin plastered on her face, causing the older agents to crack a smile and shake their heads at the youngest agent.

Contrary to the previous three weeks, the morning felt like it was going at a snail's pace. Paperwork was boring, that was a fact they all knew, but paperwork related to older and cold cases was even worse. The three agents struggled through the hours, taking turns to walk the slow route to the coffee maker to keep everyone topped off on the much-needed caffeine.

It had been his turn to grab lunch for the team, and as such, Sam had just returned with a variety of more healthy sandwiches than what both Callen and Kensi would have preferred. They were just about to skeptically sink their teeth into their meals when Eric appeared at the balcony.

"Guys, need you up in OPS, stat." He yelled before quickly disappearing into the technical room.

The agents quickly looked at one another, no weird sound or quirky quote to summon them meant that the case would be a serious one, where time was of the essence. As such, they begrudgingly put their suspiciously healthy sandwiches down, before rushing up the stairs and into OPS.

Once the three agents were standing at their usual spots, Eric started the briefing, "A few minutes ago we received an emergency call that a building has been taken by an unknown number of hostiles. We are currently trying to access their surveillance feed, but it's encrypted, so it will take me a little longer. For now we know that at least _one_ DoD employee is in there, a Steve Matthews who called it in."

Nell took over the briefing afterwards, to enable Eric to continue working on breaking the encryption hindering them from seeing what was going on inside the building. She brought up a blueprint, and together the team started working on a plan for the best way to breach the building in case hostage negotiations could not yield results.

Getting the footage online proved a more difficult task than first anticipated and seeing as hostage situations are, by their nature, very time sensitive, the team was forced to drive to the scene before they had been able to see inside the building on the big monitor. To enable the team easier access to information, and more specifically the surveillance footage once available, Hetty decided that Nell was to join the agents in the field, dictating that she would be stationed in the tactical van that hostage negotiation would provide. That way she could be the interchanging link between LAPD and NCIS in the case. Their agency had the lead in the case, since it was an employee from the Department of Defense, whom had called in the situation. That employee was more likely than not one of the hostages inside, giving NCIS jurisdiction, even though they needed to wait for Eric to hack his way into the cameras in order to fully confirm that the DoD employee was indeed in there.

...

They arrived at the already chaotic scene only ten minutes later, Sam's driving techniques, while nauseating, were very effective at cutting through the otherwise thick LA traffic. They were allowed through the roadblock after showing their IDs, LAPD having done a great job at setting up a quick perimeter around the block of the building in question. The building itself was a somewhat small office building, which had very few employees working from there on a regular basis. It was mostly used for meetings for people travelling to Los Angeles to deal with either larger projects or contracts.

The hostage negotiation van was seen driving through the same roadblock, a few minutes after the agents' arrival, and Nell immediately made her way towards the vehicle in order to set up her own equipment. Whilst the tiny redhead got situated in the specialized vehicle, the other three went to talk to the law enforcement officers who had arrived first at the scene, to see if they had any additional information to provide.

Unfortunately, the only information the LEOs had gotten from all of the potential witnesses was unreliable at best. The only consistent thing they could tell, was that there were _at least_ two hostiles, but they would have to wait for Eric to confirm the exact number, once he had the video up and running, which meant that they were without information for the time being.

The hostage negotiation team was working hard on attempting to establish a connection between themselves, but had not been able to do so yet as the only known landline phones in the building was at the front desk and an office, and neither of the two was being picked up. The perpetrators had not reacted to the sound of the man speaking to them through a megaphone either, no contact at all.

As such, they had two options left, one, where they would possibly be able to establish contact if they were able to reach one of the hostages' cell phones, and two, have the hostage takers call them with whatever demands they may have had, both which required waiting.

The unwanted waiting time was spent coordinating with the SWAT team leader and making sure the sniper teams were in positions should the need be. Nell helped them with bringing up the blueprints once more, so they could more accurately plan the breach now that the SWAT team lead, Sergeant George Ramirez, was present to help planning the operation, which would be necessary if the hostage negotiation team would be unable to establish contact.

They had barely left the white hostage negotiation van after finishing coordinating the breach, before the tiny redhead came running after them.

"Eric's got the video feed live now," she exclaimed loudly before turning back into the van, knowing they would follow her.

Moments later the three agents and Sergeant Ramirez were all standing behind the technical analyst as she coordinated with Eric to have the live feed broadcast on the two monitors in front of her. She would be able to watch the live feed and help hostage negotiation, whilst Eric would attempt to identify all visible hostages and, hopefully, the hostage takers from OSP since he had the computer power to quickly run through various databases.

A silence spread throughout the van as Nell methodically went through all the various camera feeds, thanks to DoD's security contracts the building was full of security cameras and she was soon able to find the ones, which had the hostages as well as the perpetrators.

Having sifted through all cameras at least once to ensure that there were not any wanderers in the building, they had established that there were a total of six hostage takers. She took screenshots of each of the six men, in order to assess the weaponry they carried. According to the footage they were heavily armed, four of them carrying submachine guns through slings and the last two what looked to be shotguns. On top of the heavy weaponry inside, they also saw that the perps had donned bulletproof vests. Luckily, none of the men was wearing anything to hide their faces, and as such, Eric should hopefully be able to identify them.

Now done looking at close-up screenshots of the hostage takers, Nell brought back the live feed of the room with the hostages. It was a somewhat large meeting room, with a long wooden table and matching chairs. Both the table and all the chairs had been pushed to one side and the hostages moved right up next to the furniture.

The camera was rotating slowly from left to right, finally allowing the five people staring at the screens to see the victims in all of this, as the camera's field of view gradually revealed more of the room and hostages.

The female agent gasped loudly. As the camera had continued to rotate, the easily recognizable features of her boyfriend was now on the screen in front of her, his lax blonde, fluffy hair and scruff combined with the professional suit made mistaken identity an impossibility for her. Her whole body stiffened as the blood in her veins turned to ice and she forgot how to breathe, her mismatched eyes wide in terror at the sight as she continued to look at the monitor in disbelief.

Her two colleagues and the Sergeant had yet to realize what she had when Nell spoke up, "Isn't that the lawyer from a few months back?"

"Damn, I think it is," the team lead confirmed her question. "I think his name was-"

"Marty," the female agent exhaled, remembering how to breathe once more.

* * *

 **Sorry for the cliffhanger! (Not really though!); We were due for some excitement after all the Densi fluff!**


	25. Breach And Clear

**A/N: Thank you (once again) for the immense support you guys and girls have been showing. Absolutely incredible and so humbling. Hope you'll enjoy the 25th (yes 25 already!) chapter. All the best!**

* * *

 **Chapter 25: Breach And Clear**

 _The female agent gasped loudly. As the camera had continued to rotate, the easily recognizable features of her boyfriend was now on the screen in front of her, his lax blonde, fluffy hair and scruff combined with the professional suit made mistaken identity an impossibility for her. Her whole body stiffened as the blood in her veins turned to ice and she forgot how to breathe, her mismatched eyes wide in terror at the sight as she continued to look at the monitor in disbelief._

 _Her two colleagues and the Sergeant had yet to realize what she had when Nell spoke up, "Isn't that the lawyer from a few months back?"_

" _Damn, I think it is," the team lead confirmed her question. "I think his name was-"_

" _Marty," the female agent exhaled, remembering how to breathe once more._

"Yeah, that was it," Callen agreed, still looking at the monitor intently. He had been too focused trying to remember the name of the man to notice the strained voice of his colleague.

Kensi violently shook her head, attempting to force away the shocked expression she was sure was visible. She knew, that she was now too close to this case, but there were absolutely _zero chances_ of her sitting out any rescue attempts if it came to that. As such, she needed to compose herself in order to hide her true relationship with the man who was now taken hostage.

Although his partner had missed the strain in the female agent's voice, Sam had not. As he looked back over his shoulder to where the woman was standing, she was forcibly shaking her head as if to clear her thoughts. He lifted one of his eyebrows, looking at her quizzically for her reasoning, but she continued to stare at the monitor in front of them.

"You alright, Kensi?" He finally asked, when she did not respond to his look.

"Huh?" She finally looked at him, unaware that he had been staring at her. "Yeah I'm fine, just a bit of an unwanted surprise I guess," she answered weakly.

"You sure?" The larger agent pushed, sensing that she was not entirely truthful.

Inwardly, Kensi berated herself for her lack of convincing lying. She would have to put on the perfect show for her coworkers if she was to be able allowed to stay in the field. Deciding that half-truths would be the best way to convince her teammates, she started explaining herself further. "Yeah. It's just… I went to dinner with him once." She took a breath, as she looked at Sam, Callen, and Sergeant Ramirez to make sure they believed her. Satisfied that they were listening, she went on to explain. "After we'd rescued him, he insisted that it was the least he could do." She shrugged. "It never went farther than that, but he was nice."

The team lead narrowed his eyes at the youngest agent, trying to decipher what she was saying. Deciding that she was telling the truth and she had, just like him, also been surprised to see the lawyer, who by now could compete in, and most like win, a 'most unfortunate person in Los Angeles' competition.

Sam, however, was not entirely convinced that his colleague was telling the entire truth, but seeing as how Callen looked convinced, he decided to let it go for the moment. He made a mental note to keep a closer eye on the female agent, and decided that he would not speak up, as long as she continued to seem and act level headed.

Inwardly Kensi was trembling, she recalled how nervous she had been when they believed, that The Facilitators had targeted the unfortunate lawyer for a second time, and that was before they had even had the opportunity to go out for dinner together. That feeling of anxiousness she had felt back then was nothing compared to the dread that she currently felt at the thought that the man, whom she cared the most about in the world, was taken hostage by six heavily armed criminals, of which they had no idea why they had taken over the building.

On the outside, however, she was cool as a cucumber. The special agent finally having gotten control of her micro expressions, her exterior now an unreadable façade as she asked, "How long do we give hostage negotiation before we breach?"

"At least an hour," The team lead started. "Since we have cameras on them, we'll be able to see if they start acting irrationally in there, and we should be able to act in time, but I don't want to jump the gun and possibly get any of the hostages hurt unless we have exhausted all other options." Callen explained, logical as always.

"Alright, I'll go brief my guys, make sure they're ready when or if need be," Sergeant Ramirez nodded to the lead agent, and headed out of the tactical van towards his SWAT unit, leaving the three NCIS agents and the intelligence analyst.

The waiting time was abysmal, whilst Nell, and probably Eric, was busy typing away, trying to find any information about the hostage takers and hostages alike, the negotiation team was working on finding ways to attempt to establish contact with the culprits, leaving an extremely impatient and agitated special agent to wait without having anything productive to currently do.

It was dreadful, knowing that the most important man in your life was currently at the mercy of some lunatics who had captured a building and taken the people inside hostages, she thought to herself, as she left the van in order to get some air.

...

It had been thirty very long minutes when the tiny, redheaded intelligence analyst chimed up, "Guys, you've got to see this!"

The three agents rushed to see what their colleague was pointing out. Through the security camera, they could see two of the culprits ruffling through some documents, throwing their encasing manila folders to the ground, obviously looking for something specific, and by the looks of it, quite frustrated by not having found it yet.

"How long has this gone on?" Callen asked.

"They've been looking through the documents for the last five minutes, but they've only just started becoming frustrated. Eric's trying to work out what the documents contain."

Kensi felt her stomach turning to a knot at the sound of the hostage takers turning more frustrated, she knew from experience, that frustration generally lead towards more aggressive behavior. Whilst the nervous feeling made itself known in the pit of her stomach, she had noticed, that Sam had glanced over at her more often since she had told them that she knew Marty, and as such, she continued to keep her facial expression perfectly unreadable.

The team lead walked the few steps to where the hostage negotiation team was situated. He asked them of status quo, wanting to know how much, if any, progress had been made trying to contact the culprits. When he walked back towards the team not even a minute later shaking his head, they had their answer.

They stood mutely for a minute, continuing to watch the screen intensely, before the leader of the team broke the silence. "Alright, we're going to gear up, ready to enter. Nell you let us know over coms if their aggression changes focus towards the hostages, if that's the case we'll enter."

Looking around, Callen saw he got nods all around from his three friends and colleagues, as such, they made their way towards the entry point, but not before Callen had informed Sergeant Ramirez of the change in behavior of the culprits and the plan to enter if they started turning aggressive or violent towards the hostages. The Sergeant quickly readied his men, hopeful that they would not be forced to breach by the culprits, but ready to go at a moment's notice nonetheless if the lead special agent called for it.

The hostage negotiation team was still unable to establish any forms of contact, the men inside seemed more interested on whatever they could not find in those documents rather than negotiating with the people sitting in the tactical van as one of the hostages phone continued to ring upon deaf ears. Finally one of the armed men grabbed the phone, but the hope that the negotiating team had felt upon watching that was quickly shattered, as the man violently threw the phone into the wall, breaking it instantly.

Not even fifteen minutes later, another one of the armed men punched one of the hostages in frustration, it was now clear, that the behavior of at least some of the culprits had taken a turn towards more hostility, forcing the hand of the NCIS agents and SWAT team.

As planned, the two groups entered from different sides of the building, the three agents using the emergency exit stairs from the alley behind the building, whilst the SWAT members entered from a service door, they had managed to pry open.

After having been told the room they were about to enter was clear, the three NCIS agents entered quietly on the third floor into an empty room. The room was the furthest away from where the hostages were in order to make sure no one was able to hear when Callen forced open the window.

The SWAT team silently moved throughout the bottom floor of the building, both teams were getting updates on the whereabouts of the six heavily armed men currently in the building by Eric, who was following their every movement from OPS, since he had more space and monitors available to keep track of everything. He confirmed to the two teams, that all the culprits were still situated on the third floor of the building.

Since they had confirmation, that those were the only hostiles in the vicinity, the teams were able to neglect clearing all the rooms they passed, SWAT making quick work of getting to the stairs and in position, and Callen, Sam, and Kensi moved into a hallway, quietly moving closer to where they knew the hostages were held.

The agents moved along the narrow hallway, when Eric chimed in their ears. "Guys, there's one headed your way from the second door on the right." He quickly informed them.

Just as the unfortunate culprit entered the hallway, the ex-Navy SEAL met him immediately with a punch to his, stunning him briefly. Kensi quickly moved behind the man, locking down a rear naked choke, whilst the larger agent kept control of the weapon. A few seconds later, the man had been taken down quietly, Callen grabbed some of his flex cuffs, and tied the man to the table that was in the room he had previously emerged from. They made sure he was properly gagged before they moved on, as they did not want to give him any ability to forewarn any of the other culprits.

Whilst the three agents took down one of the armed men, the SWAT team had been equally successful in silently restraining a man guarding the stairway they had just exited.

Callen, Sam, and Kensi made their way to the end of the hallway, but as they opened the door in front of them, all hell broke loose. Gunfire erupted through the open door, forcing the agents to jump to the side, seeking cover by breaking line of sight.

The sound over the coms that they were pinned down were unnecessary, as the SWAT team had no problem hearing the roaring of bullets currently filling the building.

Kensi dared not even peak to see if there were any opportunities to return fire, as the three culprits though the door interchanged their fire, ensuring that there were always bullets travelling down the hallway, making any movement or retaliation an impossibility.

After another minute in the predicament, the team head the relieving sound of suppressed shots followed by an immediate halt to the rain of bullets flying down the hallway they were in. The SWAT team had, with the help of Eric's guidance, been able to flank the three armed men before swiftly neutralizing the danger, leaving just a lone culprit left in the building.

The two teams moved in tandem towards the room the hostages were in, making sure to check every room they passed as they made their way.

Callen kicked in the door, quickly stepping aside afterwards to let his fellow agents and the SWAT team into the room. Kensi was the first to barge into the room, pistol at the ready.

The sight she was met with froze the blood in her veins. The last culprit stood behind the shaggy lawyer, who had a bruise already forming around his nose and eye. The gunman had an arm around his throat and a pistol aimed directly at the man's temple. "One more step and I'll shoot," he screamed at the agents.


	26. Rescue And Revelation

**A/N: Glad you all seemed to enjoy the last chapter, the complaints about a cliffhangers are always taken as a compliment! Hopefully you'll enjoy this one equally much.**

 **All the best! - Cape**

* * *

 **Chapter 26: Rescue and Revelation**

She was frozen in place, unable to move another inch, as she stared at the man threatening her boyfriend at gunpoint, as her teammates and SWAT swarmed in around her. Every weapon in the room sans the one pistol was trained firmly at the black-haired criminal, who was currently clinging to both his weapon and the disheveled lawyer alike.

"Everybody one of you get out or I swear to God, I'll put a bullet in his head," he yelled panicky, pressing the barrel of the weapon painfully hard into the skull of Marty, who visible winced and shook from the action.

She deeply wanted to just put a bullet in the man's head and end the threat to her boyfriend's life right then and there. She had made that kind of shot before, and she was certain that she could do it again, but she managed to restrain herself, giving the man a possibility to walk out alive. The alternative would have been a sniper round, but as expected, the culprits had drawn the blinds to the room, not allowing anyone to look in or out, thus making any sharpshooter intervention an impossibility.

"That's not going to happen," Callen coolly told the man.

"I'm walking out with this beach bum here, and the beach bum and me, we're going to drive away." The man had lowered his voice in an attempt to show them he meant what he said.

"Forget it man, you're not going anywhere," the larger agent dismissed his demand.

Whilst her two teammates were trying to talk sense into the culprit, Kensi had locked eyes with the shaggy blonde's ocean blue eyes.

Even though he was not an irrational man, she somehow knew that he would sacrifice himself if he thought it meant that no one else got hurt. As such, she had to make sure that he did not put himself in further danger by attempting some maneuver. To guarantee that, she continued to look into the blue depth of his eyes, trying to silently tell him to stay put and that things would be all right. She saw the obvious panic in his eyes slowly dissipate into a look of trust and belief, she noticed how his breathing stopped being as erratic as he attempted a few deep, calming breaths, or as deep as the arm currently putting pressure on his throat would allow. He closed his eyes as he blew out another semi-deep breath with slightly puffed cheeks, a calming technique that she recognized from when the team had first come to his aid. As he opened his eyes again, he gave a small nod in thanks, partially for calming him and partially for being there to help.

Their silent communication was interrupted, when the man started violently shaking the hand currently around Marty's throat, causing the lawyer to cough and the agents and police officers to ready for whatever was coming next.

"Last chance. You've got ten seconds to move aside and let us out before I blow the bum's head _right off_." He screamed his threat.

It was clear to everyone that the man was getting increasingly nervous, which meant that he was also becoming incredibly jumpy, and jumpy was _not_ something anyone looked for in a hostage taker, as it could easily result in one or more deaths.

The drops of sweat now easily visible on his forehead, the perspiration soaking the black tendrils of hair as he continuously glanced nervously around the room as he stopped shaking the lawyer and started counting down. "Ten."

"Nine," he continued counting as he glowered at everyone in the room.

When no one made any attempt to move out of his way, he continued counting. "Eight."

"Seven."

The other hostages, still sitting by the far wall next to the furniture, watched the scene play out, although there were now agents and officers at the scene, panic was at the forefront of their minds, as they feared the worst.

"Look, man." He surprised everyone as he spoke up. "No one is going anywhere, if you want to help yourself, put the weapon away. It'll go a long way with the judge if you start cooperating." The lawyer, currently being used as a human shield, tried to bring some sense into the man. He had seen the insides of a courtroom many times and knew what would, and what would not help with the judge and jury, and right now he was telling the truth.

The unwanted advice brought a new wave of annoyance over the miscreant. The newfound frustration in the eyes of the culprit was clear to the female agent, and as such, she needed to draw his attention towards herself instead of the man currently staring down the barrel of the criminal's loaded gun. "He's right, you know." She started, grabbing his attention. "You're not stupid. You know you're not getting out of here. Make the smart move, put your gun away and turn yourself over."

Sam looked to his female coworker as soon as she started speaking, whilst her words were clear and neutral, albeit with a bit of authority in it, the concern in her eyes was clear as day to him. He recognized the look from himself and Michelle from when they worked together in some of his dreaded anti-terror task force, back when he was still an active Navy SEAL.

While he acknowledged and, on a deeper level understood, why she had kept her relationship with the shaggy-haired lawyer a secret during the preparation and breach, he was also upset with his teammate withholding the truth from him and Callen. He would have to bring it up after they were out of the room, as he would definitely _not_ bring it up now, seeing as a gun-wielding culprit was currently threatening the man in question. He also knew that if he was in that position, he would do anything to neutralize the threat, and given the fact, that she had yet to pull the trigger, ending the miscreant's life, was a testament to the professionalism she had, even though she obviously cared deeply for the innocent man.

"You're trying to trick me," the culprit exclaimed.

"Not trying to trick you," Kensi truthfully replied.

Sam decided to step in, and help his friend by trying to push the armed foe towards tossing his weapon. "You've got two options right now. Either you give yourself up or this is your last living day on Earth. It's your choice."

The black haired man seemed to digest what he had just been told, glancing between Kensi, Sam, and the door, obviously considering his options. The prior desperation and uncertainty painted on the culprit's face turned slowly towards something resembling contentedness. He almost seemed resigned with his situation.

Kensi saw the resignation he showed and for a short moment, she felt relief, but the relief was short lived, and quickly disappeared. She felt a chill run down her spine, when the culprit showed no signs of dropping his weapon or releasing Marty, meaning that he would definitely _not_ let himself be taken alive.

Time seemed to slow to a halt when the culprit moved the barrel of his pistol away from the temple of Marty, stretching his arm to aim towards the agents in the room. The fear of the man she cared the most about in her life being hit in the crossfire was crippling, and she felt herself unable to immediately take aim and pull the trigger.

The hostage taker had almost flung the gun to his intended target, when she heard the roar of a gun going off and the man fell to the ground, pulling Marty with him, as he had still had his arm wrapped tightly around the lawyer's throat.

She looked to her left, and saw the last bit of smoke emanating from Callen's gun, confirming that he, too, had seen the same emotions play across the culprit's face as she had, and had neutralized the target before any harm could come to the team.

After confirming who had pulled the trigger, her full attention was now back to her boyfriend, who was currently lying on the floor in the increasing pool of blood of the hostage taker. She rushed to the shaggy man, only stopping to kick away the pistol from the downed foe. As she crouched next to him, the shock was clearly written on his face.

"You're okay, Marty. You're okay," she assuaged. The world around her shrunk to only encompass her and the man lying on the floor. The SWAT team moved past her to comfort the other hostages and lead them outside.

His wide eyes finally calmed and settled on her face, "I'm okay, it's just…" he tapered off in the end.

"Shock," she finished his sentence for him.

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah," he exhaled, having found his voice once more. "You good?" His protective nature outshining his sense of self-preservation, just as it had when he had taken a beating in his bedroom.

She chuckled at him, relief filling her that he really _was_ okay, shaken, but okay. Her lies and deception to her teammates long forgotten, she leaned down to press her lips to his, the short kiss offering more comfort than they both could imagine. "I'm good if you're good," she assured him.

"Good," he smiled at her, the immediate trauma gone, but Kensi knew that it would return later, once the dust had settled and his adrenaline left his body. Kensi stood up and offered a helping hand to the man still supine on the floor. He happily accepted the help, and she pulled him back to his feet and into her embrace. He warmly accepted the tight hug, pulling her flush against his body, wanting her as close as possible at the moment.

Their tender moment was interrupted by the sound of the team lead clearing his throat.

As the female agent took a step back and out of the embrace of her boyfriend, she realized, that whilst he seemed to be all right at the moment, she still needed the physical comfort as a reminder that he actually _was_ alright. As such, she grabbed his left hand with her right, interlacing their fingers before she turned around to face her two coworkers.

She looked unwavering at the two men standing in front of her, daring them to make any comment towards what they had just seen. She knew that they, too, would have withheld information in order not to get benched during a case, which they were too close to. In fact, they _had_ withheld information before, and in her mind, that was _exactly_ the same thing that she had just done. Right now, she was not in the mood for any hypocritical scolding and tried telling the two senior agents as much through a gorgon stare.

Callen, as always, had an unreadable expression on his face. She imagined, that he was processing how he had missed the signs, that Marty Deeks was her other half, especially after she almost lost her resolute in the hostage negotiation van, when she saw him on the video feed.

Sam's expression, at face value, was one of displeasurable annoyance, but looking past the immediate unhappiness the larger agent felt towards the situation, she saw a look of understanding. She realized that whilst Callen might have been surprisingly oblivious to her struggles during the case, Sam had probably honed in on her inner conflict and had even allowed her to continue working on the case.

Sam's gaze wandered from his female colleague to Marty, who was also staring at the two agents, but at least had the decency to look abashed at the scenario they had just witnessed. The ex-Navy SEAL decided to cut his friend a break for now. He would return to the subject regarding her withholding information from the team at a later time.

The team lead had reached the same conclusion as his partner, as he commented, "Only one date, huh?"

Kensi was thankful, when he humorously commented on the scenario. "Maybe a few more than one," she smiled at the older agent.

* * *

 **I know this did not explain anything in regards to _why_ they were taken hostages, but rest assured that the explanation will be coming in the following chapter(s). **


	27. Shaken

**A/N: Sorry for the long(er) time to upload this chapter. I have just started back up in university, and as such, there might be a bit longer between updates on both MP and SOG, so sorry about that, but thank you for understanding. Hope you'll enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 27: Shaken**

Kensi led her boyfriend down through the flight of stairs, which the SWAT team had ascended not even ten minutes ago. She was still holding on tightly to his hand, not yet willing to release the firm grip, as the comforting touch helped ground her still.

An overall feeling of numbness started filling Marty, as they reached the bottom floor. His hand was still firmly placed in his girlfriend's, but he no longer registered the comforting touch, instead he just let her lead him away from the grey office building. She had tried asking him a question, even repeating it several times, but all he could hear was a low ringing in his ears, as all other noises blended into nothingness.

She knew that the adrenaline, that must have soared through his body, had starting leaving when he had started sagging as she led him down the stairs. When they walked outside and he still had not answered her inquiry, she knew that the delayed shock was creeping in fast, consuming the lawyer's senses as he was trapped back in the memory in the meeting room, now three stories above.

Kensi sat him down on the curb in front of the building and crouched on one knee in front of him, grabbing both his hands tenderly as she waited for him to return. He had retreated into his own mind, but she knew from experience, that people usually experienced this type of shock in a somewhat similar fashion, and she wanted to be the first thing he saw as his senses flooded back to him, knowing a familiar face would help bring comfort.

The business continued around them, as a few ambulances were already present, but the EMTs only had to provide psychological first aid, as no one was physically injured, other than lawyer who had the start of a black eye. Although no one had sustained any severe physical injuries, the paramedics knew that it was often the mental trauma, which lasted longer than any actual bodily damage, and as such, they did everything they could in order to calm the ones who had been taken hostage.

The two culprits they had been able to take alive, was led out of the building by the SWAT members, before being handed over to one of the police cruisers, so they could be brought to the boatshed for questioning.

If looks could kill, the men would have died ten times over, as Kensi followed the men with her gaze. She quickly moved her attention back to the man she was kneeling in front of, when she felt him starting to shake.

"I'm here," she squeezed his hands. "You're safe, Marty."

His wavering gaze finally settled on her, as he once again returned to conscious thoughts.

"Sorry I uhm," he swallowed hard. "I think I just checked out for a second there," he tried humor.

She nodded slightly, unable to keep her lips from bending upwards at his attempt, as she assured him, "That's okay. It's just…"

"Shock," it was his turn to finish off her sentence.

"Yeah, shock," she agreed, chuckling at the role reversal. She shook her head before her eyes turned serious once again, "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," he assured her.

She raised her eyebrows, showing him that she clearly did not believe him. "And how are you _really_ doing?"

He could not help but have a slight smile on his face, she knew him only too well. He found the thought warming. He was not used to have anyone close to him, and certainly not anyone who could read him as well as the brown-haired woman with the mismatched eyes in front of him was able to.

"I'm uhm," he started unsurely, "I have quite the headache, and…" He let go with one of his hands, bringing it up between them, so she could see the shakiness of it. "…I am pretty shook up."

Kensi was a woman in a man's world. She never allowed any weaknesses to show, because it might infer that she was not up for the task of being a special agent, especially not one on the elite team, which was the NCIS' Office of Special Projects. Although it was for very different reasons, Kensi knew that her boyfriend was equally unwilling to show any weakness, so for him to openly admit he was shook up was a huge show of confidence from him. She was choked up at the thought of the immense trust he had just displayed, and a thin layer of unshed tears blurred her vision.

Marty sensed the emotional turmoil she, too, had gone through, but knew that she wanted to say something. As such, he stayed quiet, but moved his hand back to hers and squeezed in silent support, until she was able to form words.

"I was really scared, when I saw you in that room," she admitted, finally managing to push past the lump that had formed in her throat. "When I saw those guys with weapons in there with you…" her voice faltered.

He leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers, "I'm okay, Kens." He whispered, he knew she was still dealing with all the 'what-ifs' of the situation and wanted her to know he was okay, at least physically.

Kensi thought about his reassuring. She knew that because of Marty's past, the physical injury, which really was just a decently sized bruise, would not really bother him whatsoever, but she expected that the mental trauma of having been held at gunpoint would unfortunately last quite a bit longer.

They sat like that for a few minutes, reveling in being together and being relatively unscathed from the entire situation. Kensi slowly went out of his embrace, as she felt they were being watched. Her hands travelling from behind his back, settling on his shoulders as she gave him a squeeze, looking him in the eyes, silently asking if he was okay for now. He smiled slightly before nodding, confirming that he would manage for now.

"I'll be right back," she told him, and knowing that her boyfriend was handling the situation to the best of his ability, she turned around, and saw her team lead watching her closely. She took a few steps towards the man, trying to gauge what he was thinking, but unable to do so as his expression was unreadable as always.

"How's he doing?" Callen asked when she stood across from him. His blank expression turning to one of concern.

"As well as you could expect after being held at gunpoint," she spoke softly, concern for the man evident in her voice.

"The shaking will get better," Callen informed her, matching her soft vocals. "And how are you doing?"

"Well, my boyfriend was just taken hostage, and I had to lie to you two about it." She started, as she realized now may as well be as good as any time for an apology. "And sorry about keeping it from you, it's just…" she trailed off, unable to explain herself.

Luckily, she did not have to, as Callen's expression softened further, "You don't have to explain yourself, just don't let it happen again, okay?" He knew how it felt, when you had to protect someone you cared the most about, especially during the case that led him to believe his sister, Amy, existed _and_ was alive. Unfortunately, it was a girl, whom Callen's sister had been in foster care with, but at least he got a bit of closure during the case, able to visit his sister's gravesite.

She nodded, happy that at least one of the two senior agents had already accepted her apology, "You got it."

Callen's eyes turned more serious, as his gaze jumped between her and the man sitting a few meters behind her. She brazed herself for what was to come. "Do you think he's up for answering some questions?"

Kensi's gaze darkened, as reminders of the last time the lawyer had 'answered some questions' from her two teammates.

Callen quickly caught on to the change in demeanor of the woman, "Just questions. He quickly assured her, "We've learned from the last time, and since both Sam and I value or lives, we won't be pushing him."

"Or bringing up traumatic events from his past." She added. Her tone of voice harsher than he had heard from her, since the last encounter Sam and he had had in the boathouse.

"Or that," he agreed, attempting to look as apologetic as possible. He knew that they had overstepped that day, and now knowing that she was obviously already having some feelings for the man, he could better understand the harsher reaction she had had to the whole debacle.

"Do you want me to bring him to the boatshed?" Kensi asked, hoping the answer would be yes, as she wanted to be there for the man whom she cared the most about in the world.

She had seen the apologetic look, the team lead had sent her, and although she had forgiven her two teammates, she knew that it would take more than a simple 'I'm sorry' to fix the emotional anguish he had felt at such a fragile time, and wanted to be his steadfast reminder, that he was all right.

"That would be great," he answered honestly. "We still have a few things to take care of here, but Sam, Nell, and I can do that, you take care of Deeks, okay?"

She knew that they could easily do with her on the scene, another agent to make sure everything was in order, but instead he let her take care of her boyfriend, ensuring that he was all right. She recognized the gesture as another offering of peace between them, since he would hate to have a cleft between them.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," he smiled easily. "We'll call before we arrive at the boatshed, alright?"

"Sounds good," she nodded, appreciating the gesture. She turned her back to the lead agent and started making her way back to the lawyer still sitting on the curbstone, where she had left him a few minutes ago. She looked at him, as she made her way towards him, and saw the bruise starting to take form already, as such, she decided on a detour past one of the ambulances in order to grab an icepack to dull the pain.

He looked at her and attempted a smile, when she came near, but it fell flat. His inner turmoil still raging, as he had continued to attempt to come to terms with what had just happened.

She sat down next to him and wrapped her arm protectively around him, as he laid his head on her shoulder. She activated the icepack and tenderly placed it above his eye and bridge of his nose, where the bruise had already started forming. He drew in a quick breath of air, as the cold shocked him, but quickly settled on her shoulder once more. No words were needed, as they both reveled in the safety and closeness that being together brought them.

After a few minutes of silence between them, Kensi was the one to break it. She placed a tender kiss in his hair, before prodding softly, "You think you're up to answering some questions?"

He slowly sat up straight again and removed the icepack so he could look her in the eyes. She could see the vulnerability in his eyes, but more than any emotion, she could see determination. Determination to help solve what had just happened in any way that he could. "Will you be there?" He finally asked, uncertain if he could go through it so soon already, if she was not at his side, supporting him.

"Of course I will," she squeezed his shoulder. "But since we're in a relationship, it will have to be Callen or Sam who ask you the questions, just so nobody can claim that I pushed you to say anything."

Because of his previous experience as a criminal defense attorney, he knew any lawyer worth their salt would jump at the opportunity to claim emotional manipulation, if someone was questioning a person whom they were in a romantic relationship with.

"I understand," he nodded to her. "I'm guessing it will be in the same place as last time?"

"We can do it somewhere else, I'm sure," she chastised herself for neglecting that his memories from there would be a lot worse than hers.

"It's okay," he assured her, before some of his usual humor returned. "I'm sure they won't think I'm a criminal this time."

She playfully swatted him, "Don't say that." She exclaimed in an exasperated, but playful, tone, letting him know that she would go along with brightening the atmosphere.

He chuckled at her antics, happy that she had joined in on it.

She stood up in front of him, reaching for his hand to help him to his feet. "I'm going to drive you there, are you ready?" She asked as he stood up, still holding on to her hand.

"Yeah, let's go." He nodded in confirmation as well.


	28. Explanation

**A/N: It appears that I lied to you folks (not in a bad way though, as you can tell by the upload!). I _really_ thought it would take me a while to get the next chapter written, but this just came to me, and once I started writing, there was no stopping. Hope you've all had a great start to your weeks, and that you'll enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 28: Explanation**

Kensi kept sending worried glances towards the scruffy man sitting next to her in the passenger seat. The car ride was silent, as the otherwise talkative man had turned introverted, quietly staring at the tall, blurry buildings, they drove past on the way to the boatshed. She placed a hand on his thigh, tenderly caressing him, her thumb running back and forth in a calming manner. He broke his glaring from out the window and turned his head, looking at the hand before turning his gaze to her, sending her a timid smile.

She hated seeing her confident man turned so nervous, trapped in his thoughts. She knew from unwanted experience, that he could take a beating in stride, courtesy of his deadbeat father, which eliminated the blackened eye as a reason for his introversion. As such, she deduced that his current apprehensiveness had to stem from a combination of having been this close to the business end of a gun in combination with going to the boatshed, both of those would have brought back the reminder of the horrible night where a terrified eleven-year-old boy lost both of his parents.

They pulled into the parking lot overviewing the waterfront. Kensi turned off the vehicle but made no move to exit it, instead she turned in her seat to face the quiet man next to her. She grabbed his hand, tethering him to her, "You don't have to do this right now. We can wait a bit, go to the beach or something first if you'd like."

The fact that she knew, he would want to go to the beach for comfort brought the first real smile from him since the whole ordeal, "I want to help." He started assuring her, "And you need this information, right?"

She nodded at him, proud that he was such a resilient person, steadfast on doing the right thing. "We do, yeah… But it can wait a little," she assured him.

"We'll do it now, I don't want your case to stall because of me," he smiled assuringly at her.

She looked into his deep, blue orbs and saw nothing but sincerity, as such, she nodded and smiled at him, certain that he was all right for now. "Okay, let's go inside then."

She led him into the main room and sat down next to him on the same couch, just like they had a few months ago. Kensi quickly greeted the few NCIS agents who were already present in the boatshed, since the two culprits they had managed to capture alive during the rescue was in an interrogation room each.

Whilst they waited for the arrival of the rest of Kensi's team, the two sat next to each other and talked about everything and nothing. He found a sense of calm returning to him, even though he had had his past put on display in this place, it was also the place where his feelings for the woman currently sitting next to him truly started to take root. As such, he decided to focus on that, the nonsense they had spoken last time they were here and the feeling of safety and contentedness being around Kensi had given him.

The easily recognizable sound of her teammates banter alerted the female agent of their arrival, and a feeling of nervousness filled her, unsure of how Marty would handle talking to them again, since their less than stellar last meeting.

Marty stood as he, too, had heard the voices of the arriving agents. She followed his lead, but looked warily at him as she was standing next to him. His features would have seemed neutral to anyone who did not know the man well, his face a well-practiced mask, hiding his true feelings. Kensi, however, both knew him well and her undercover experience had honed her abilities to spot any change in expressions no matter how miniscule. As such, she could see how his jaw had tightened and she knew he stood a bit straighter, than he usually would.

The ex-Navy SEAL and former CIA agent casually walked towards the two standing in front of the couch. Callen seemed open enough, even to the point of looking slightly apologetic as he neared them. Sam, however, was having a hard time containing a slight scowl, obviously still upset at her for keeping something from him and the team.

The female unconsciously took a small step in front of Marty, protectively shielding him from the arriving agents.

"Kensi," he started, nodding to his female agent, having noted her protective stance. "Mr. Deeks," he reached to shake the hand of the man, whom he now knew to be Kensi's boyfriend.

"Agent…" he drifted off, having forgotten the name, but happy that he greeted him so respectfully this time.

"Callen," the older man smiled at him.

"Pleasure to meet you… I think," the lawyer smiled unsurely at the man, still uncertain exactly _where_ he stood in regards to the two agents, after all, they had tainted his image in front of his, now, girlfriend and that was without even mentioning the illegal way in which, he assumed they had gotten the information from the sealed file.

Deciding to push that line of thinking to the back of his head, his eyes turned to the larger African-American agent standing next to the man, whom he had just greeted. "Deeks," he said, reaching forward to shake hands with the tough agent.

The larger agent looked unsurely at the hand in front of him for a few seconds before reaching to shake it, "Hanna," he gruffly greeted, the handshake uncomfortable from the large man's pressure.

As opposed to the blond man standing in front of him, Sam did not bother hiding his uncertainty of the man in front of him. Intellectually, he knew that it was not the lawyer, who had kept his relationship from him, but for some reason, he projected his annoyance at his coworker to the man, whom she shared a relationship with, it was that projected annoyance combined with the assumed character of the lawyer. Based on his unkempt appearance, which did not sit well with the uptight military man, Sam did not have high regards for him so far, and he did not hide his disapproving expression.

If looks could kill, Sam would be dead on the spot. The glare Kensi sent her male counterpart left no doubt to what she was feeling about the less than warm greeting he had offered _her_ man.

"Kensi said you're up for answering some questions?" Callen interrupted the stare, making sure to keep a friendly tone of voice, as he took the attention off his partner.

"Yeah," he nodded at the senior agent.

"Alright, why don't you take a seat," Callen started, gesturing to the couch behind the lawyer. "I'll just grab a recorder, and we can get started."

He unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat down on the old furniture as suggested, Kensi sat down next to him and made sure they sat close enough for their legs to touch. She placed a hand on his thigh, silently showing her support for him. Sam was still standing, his expression still disapproving as he looked at the two sitting on the couch.

A minute later had the lead agent sitting across the couch on one of the well-worn chairs, Sam finally taking a seat as well.

"So where do you want to start?" The lawyer asked, when none of the agents immediately spoke up.

"Why don't you start at the beginning?" The larger of the two male agents asked in a tone, Kensi did not appreciate, earning him another darkened glare from the female agent and a sideways glance from his partner.

"Well," Marty took a deep breath before beginning his recount of the events. "We were in a meeting, discussing a potential new project for Minerva Precisions, my workplace, with some representatives from the Department of Defense, when the armed men rushed into the room yelling for us to raise our hands and comply with their orders."

Kensi squeezed his thigh in support, she was having a harder time dealing with the recount of events, than Marty currently had telling it.

"They started asking questions regarding some other project we had been working on," he continued.

"What project?" Callen prodded.

Marty looked to his left at Kensi, he knew the agents would have a high security clearance, but felt himself wanting her approval before giving them the sensitive information anyways. He continued upon receiving a slight nod from her, "An innovative missile tracking software."

The three agents looked at one another, thinking back on the first case they had with the work at Minerva Precisions. The flash drive that the men had beaten the shaggy lawyer over, had contained similar information, and in their line of business, coincidences did not sit well with them.

The lawyer pulled them out of their thoughts, as he continued narrating the events, "They got frustrated when we told them that wasn't the reason we were there."

"And you didn't tell them anything about the missile tracking software?" Sam questioned in an accusatory manner.

"No I did not," the answer sounded professionally, although Kensi could sense the annoyance at the suggestion.

"Why would they have thought you were there for the software?" The lead agent questioned, drawing attention away from his partner's less than tactful question, but also wanting to know as much as possible before interrogating the two men waiting for them.

"We were actually supposed to be discussing that, but our head of security changed the plans yesterday, he is still wary from the last security breach and changed the meeting location to DC next week," he chuckled to himself. "I guess he was right in being cautious."

Kensi nodded along, she already knew that he would have to travel to DC next week, as he had told her during dinner last night, she just did not know what it had to do with. Because of their mutual secretive jobs, conversations about work would often be vague between the two.

"That's why they went through all the documents there," Callen deduced.

Although it was not a question, Marty answered anyways, "Yeah, they got really frustrated, when they realized that we had told them the truth. I heard one of them talking about, how they thought it might've been a setup."

"If they thought it was a setup, they would send people out to scout the floor," Callen said to no one in particular.

"That explains why they had people stationed at the stairs," Sam concurred.

"Why'd they hit you," Kensi suddenly questioned, unable to keep herself asking any longer. The question had lingered in the back of her mind, ever since she first saw his bruised face in the office.

"When we heard the shots, the man who had stayed went to grab Daphne, a new employee who was there to learn the ropes of how these things usually went," he shook his head at the thought. "She was absolutely terrified, so I stepped in between her and the man."

Kensi felt herself swallow hard at the thought. He had put himself in danger to protect someone more vulnerable than himself. She felt her heart soar at the thought of the valorous act, but at the same time, her heart clenched at the thought that he could have gotten much more hurt.

"He hit me with the gun, but I kept insisting he should take me instead," the bruised lawyer continued. "Not even a minute after, you three entered the room, and you know the rest." He shrugged at the end of the sentence as if to say 'no big deal.' Kensi knew it was a defense mechanism of his, to downplay what he went through.

"I think that's all for now," Callen stood up and the rest followed his lead. "If you think of anything else don't hesitate to call… I think you already have Kensi's number," he joked.

Kensi looked at him, glad for his attempt to lighten the atmosphere, which was starting going downhill, courtesy of one indignant special agent.

"You're welcome," Marty assured, shaking the lead agent's hand. When he went to shake Sam's, he realized that the larger agent had already turned around and headed towards the small kitchenette in the boatshed.

Kensi felt anger flare at the disrespectfulness her friend showed towards her boyfriend. She was not sure exactly what had ruffled his feathers, but it did not matter to her. She would have unpleasant words with him once Marty left.

Callen looked apologetically at the two standing across from him, "I'll call Eric, see if he has anything on the captured guys, then me and the big guy will start interrogating one of them."

Kensi smiled at his excuse to give her some space with her boyfriend, and hugely appreciated it. "I'll be there in five," she assured her boss, not wanting to push her boundaries either, even though she would much prefer to stay in the company of her shaken boyfriend.

She finally allowed herself to grab Marty's hand, squeezing it tightly and pulling him outside of the boatshed, away from the ex-Navy SEAL with an attitude problem.

"I'm sorry about Sam, I'm not sure why he's acting like-"

"A pouting child," he interrupted with a chuckle.

She sighed deeply, "Something like that, yeah." They were both silent for a minute, before she spoke up once more, "How are you doing, babe?"

"Babe?" He cocked an eyebrow at the new name.

She smiled coyly at him, glad her plan for a distraction had worked, but she still wanted and honest answer to her question, "How are you doing?"

"Pretty good right now, honestly," he looked her in the eyes, so she could tell that he was being truthful.

"I don't really want to leave you right now," she confessed, smiling sadly at the blond man.

"And I don't want to be a hindrance to you doing your work," he countered easily, before chuckling. "Besides, you can think of solving this case as redeeming your boyfriend's honor."

She could not help but laugh at his humorous perspective, shaking her head before she regained control of her voice. "Oh that's what you want me to do, huh?"

He nodded easily, "You are my knight in shiny armor," he laughed and opened his arms invitingly.

She stepped into his embrace and reveled in the comfort that holding him tightly brought her. After a minute, she separated slightly and stood on her toes to kiss him tenderly.

"You need to get back to work," he told her as they parted, their lips touching slightly. He saw the reluctance in her eyes, and decided to add to the statement. "I expect to see you tonight at my place, if you aren't forced to work through the night."

"Okay," she finally agreed after a moment of silence. "I'll see you tonight, then."

She pecked his lips before turning back towards the boatshed, pushing thoughts of her shaggy haired lawyer to the back of her mind, indignation towards her coworker now back at the forefront.

* * *

 **I hope this answered some of the questions about _why_ Marty was, once again, in a dangerous situation. We should get more information still in following chapters.**


	29. Exasperation

**Chapter 29: Exasperation**

When she reached the door to the boatshed once more, the tough female agent was absolutely fuming at the indignant attitude her colleague had showed towards her boyfriend. She took determined strides towards where she had last seen the larger agent, but as she turned the corner into the main area of the boatshed, she could see on the monitor, that her two teammates had already started interrogating one of the two arrested men. No doubt, a tactical decision from the team lead in order to give her some time to calm down.

She huffed loudly at the thought of her supposedly cunning teammates. It would take more than just a few extra minutes for her to back down from the big bad ex-Navy SEAL, who at this point was at the very top of her shit list. Not only had the large agent acted disrespectfully towards her boyfriend, he had also only spoken in an accusatory and condescending tone to the blond lawyer, which definitely did _not_ sit well with Kensi, as Marty had done absolutely nothing to warrant the contemptuous attitude.

The anger she felt did not dull as the interrogation continued, she followed the screen, where she could see the two partners working like a well-oiled machine. They easily convinced the culprit sitting across from them that it would be in his best interest to spill everything, if he did not want to get a one-way ticket to the beautiful place that was Guantanamo Bay.

A few minutes after they had cracked the culprit, it was clear that the man did not have any additional information to give, and Kensi heard the door to the interrogation room open and readied herself for the confrontation, she knew would come.

The light chatter of the two senior agents came to an abrupt halt when they turned the corner and the clearly annoyed brunette came into sight, glaring angrily in their direction.

Sam put his hands up defensively in anticipation of the verbal assault as he attempted to nip the aggression in the bud. "I know you might be mad, but before any-"

"Dogs go mad," she interrupted, anger lacing her every word as she took a step closer to the big agent, getting in his face. "People, people get angry… actually I am not even angry, I'm _pissed_ ," she corrected, almost spitting out the last word at him, causing the big man to visibly flinch.

Sam was about to say something, but was stopped as Kensi put her hand up and continued speaking, "No, you do _not_ get a say yet. I _cannot_ believe you would treat anyone like that, _especially_ someone who _you know_ I'm in a relationship with. He was held at gunpoint not even hours ago for crying out loud and you act as if he was the one holding the gun. Was it because I hid the relationship from you? Because that's on me, not him, so I'm asking, what the hell is your deal?"

Callen and Sam both looked slightly shell-shocked at the anger that had poured from the female agent. Sam took a deep breath, realizing how much he really had overstepped this time.

"Look, Kensi," he started his defense after a moment of silence. "I'm sorry about my attitude towards him, it was disrespectful."

"You're damn right it was," the words flew out of her mouth, before she had a chance to stop herself.

"Kensi," the team lead warned.

"Why _did_ you treat him like that? You judge people based on how they look, is that it? Don't feel he's 'worth it' or something like that?" She continued the questioning vehemently, ignoring her boss' warning.

The ex-Navy SEAL took a deep breath, unsure of how to explain himself, "Look, I'm sorry about my attitude towards him, it's just…" he trailed off, looking for the right words.

"It's just… _what_?" She asked, clearly unsatisfied with his half-answer.

"I'm not sure, honestly." He stated genuinely, pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing. "I guess it was a combination of my annoyance that you kept your relationship hidden from us… and…" he cleared his throat, giving him a few seconds before continuing. He knew he had hurt not only the lawyer, but, more importantly to him, he had also hurt the woman, whom he had come to think of almost as a younger sister. "And you're right. I have a habit of judging people too quickly, it serves well when undercover, but obviously not in situations like this. I was wrong in this case, obviously, and I'm sorry for lashing out. I think I was thrown off by the fact that you are with someone who looked so… I don't know, unkempt?" He ventured the last sentence, knowing that it would get a rise from the woman still standing dangerously close to him, but he owed it to her to be honest.

"Unkempt? Because he actually _has_ hair?" She spat incredulously, and at any other point in time she would have been proud of the comedic retort. "You were disrespectful because he is shaggy?"

"Like I said, I was in the wrong. I'm not trying to excuse what I did, but you wanted the truth so there it is. I was upset by the fact that you felt the need to hide your relationship from us, and then I judged a book by its cover and was obviously amiss. It was unprofessional and it won't happen again."

She had taken a step back during his explanation and apology in order to be able to fully look at him, wanting to see if he spoke the truth or not. Finding no signs that he was anything but truthful, she accepted his answer as sincere. She knew how hard it was for the larger agent to admit his faults, and although she was pleased that he had been candid, she was still fuming over the senior agent being so hostile towards _her_ man, when he had just had a traumatic experience less than a few hours earlier.

"I didn't tell you about my relationship because of the last time you two _'talked'_ with him." Her voice still fiery as she stated her reasoning, nodding towards the team lead as well. "You dragged the worst part of his life into the limelight and it really hurt him. I just didn't want him to deal with it or you so soon after everything."

Both men saw how she visibly deflated, when she spoke about the incident during their last encounter with the blond lawyer. They had both felt the wrath of the female agent at that point as well, and as they discovered, Hell hath no fury but the one of Kensi Blye.

"Are you good for now, Kensi?" The team lead ventured, using a non-confrontational voice, "We still have another suspect to question, and we need to make sure that the missile software is safe."

Sam looked questioningly at his female colleague, knowing that he would want nothing more than to leave it at that, but also knowing that it was not his call to make. He was certain, that he would still have to pay for the unkind comments he made towards Kensi's romantic companion.

She thought about it for a moment, "I'm willing to make a temporary ceasefire…" She allowed herself a slight smile, " _If_ you buy me some donuts, whilst Callen and I interrogate the other man."

"Deal," Sam was quick to answer, knowing he was off the hook, even if only for a short period.

Kensi nodded in agreement before walking past both senior agents and into the secondary interrogation room, to see if they could get any additional information from the captured culprit.

...

It was a lot later than she would have wanted, when she arrived at the front door of his Malibu house. The door was locked, but she had been given a spare key the month before, so she did not bother knocking and instead just let herself in.

She found him sprawled out on his couch, laptop sitting in his lap, the screen still open on the document he was working on, giving her an indication that he had only just dozed off. She took a minute to just stand and watch the man sleep, focusing on his relaxed breathing as his chest raised rhythmically.

Deciding that she had stood idle long enough, she silently walked to the sleeping form and carefully picked up the laptop and put it on the coffee table. She knelt down next to him and placed a hand tenderly on his chest, the feeling of his heartbeat a comfortable reminder that they both made it through the day. Her second hand went and ruffled his hair, her fingers gingerly moving through his golden locks as he slowly roused from sleep.

He leaned into her touch, smacking his lips drowsily as he returned to the land of the conscious. "Kens?" He asked sleepily, leaning into her touch that settled on his cheek.

"Who else would it be?" She chuckled.

"What time is it?" He asked, slowly sitting upright in the couch.

"Just past eight," she said as she sat down next to him on the couch, leaning her head on the shoulder. After the whole ordeal earlier in the day, she felt almost compelled to touch him at any possibility.

"I'm sorry," he interrupted the silence. "I didn't mean to fall asleep," he confessed almost bashfully.

Even though she did not believe it possible, her expression softened further. She always thought, his embarrassment whenever she would wake him up on the couch was adorable, and she would never tire from seeing it.

"You obviously needed it." She turned her head, pecking him on his cheek, "You eaten yet?"

"Nope," he shook his head. "I wanted to wait for you."

"I'll order something then," she went towards the kitchen, where she knew the take-out menus were. "You want anything in particular?"

"I'm good with whatever," he smiled easily at her.

"Korean it is, then." She happily exclaimed.

She quickly placed their order and plumped down next to her boyfriend, leaning into him. The feeling of contentedness flooded over her now they were both together. She felt her heart flutter, when he pressed a tender kiss to her temple before leaning his head on hers, his low hum, which she knew meant that he was completely relaxed, was almost her undoing, as she once again felt the different feelings that had flared during the case.

Her throat started tightening, as she thought back over the day, to the moment after Callen had pulled the trigger, killing the person whom had used the most important man in her life as a human shield. The immediate aftermath of pure dread, as she had rushed to her boyfriend who lied supine on the floor.

"A penny for your thoughts," he bumped her shoulder.

"Huh?" Her intelligent reply sounded, as she had been lost in the dreaded memory.

"I can practically feel the tension radiating off you," he looked at her softly. "What's going on?"

"I was just thinking back on today," she admitted. She normally hated talking about her feelings and she knew he would not push her, but for once in her adult life, she actually found herself wanting to open up, wanting someone else to share the burden of her feelings.

As expected, he did not push her to reveal anything, instead he gently caressed her arm in silent support, letting her gather her thoughts before speaking.

"I was scared out of my mind, when I saw you in that room," she broke the silence.

"I'd almost be insulted if you weren't."

She shook her head, grateful at him for lighting the mood, but she wanted to get it all off her chest. "When I saw that guy pointing his gun at you," she finally choked out past the lump that had formed in her throat, her voice heavy with grief as an unshed layer of tears formed in her eyes.

"I'm still here," he reminded her in a whisper. "You and your team saved me."

"I know, but…" she was at a loss for how to express herself. The feeling of dread still lingering in the forefront of her mind.

"You got me through it, Kens," he started. "I'm not going to lie and say that I'm a hundred percent right now, but I think I'm doing better than could be expected… and I've got you to thank for that."

She smiled at him unsurely, not used to receiving such heartfelt compliments and certainly not sure how to respond to them. She settled for leaning into him, her head on his shoulder and hand hovering above his heart. He gingerly ran his fingers through her hair in a calming manner, content with just being together in the moment.

"I kind of went off on Sam after you left," she admitted more lightheartedly than the previous confession.

He looked at her surprised cocking an eyebrow as a silent inquiry.

"He acted so bad towards you, Marty… and you didn't deserve that," he could hear her worry for him once more, but let her take her time forming words. "So, I read him the riot act."

Marty let out a low whistle at the thought, turning his head skyward before chuckling, "I would have paid to see that." When he looked back at the beautifully mismatched eyes, he could see some residual anger still lingering, and he suddenly felt bad for the entire thing. "Look, Kens… I'm sorry about you and Sam, I don't want to be the cause of a falling out between you two."

"That's all on him, please don't worry about it."

The bell rang before he could respond, signaling the arrival of their beloved Korean take-out. Deciding to leave the heavier talks for another evening, they spent the remainder together on the couch watching whatever mindless television Kensi wanted before heading to bed, the feeling of safety overwhelming them as they fell asleep cuddled together.

* * *

 **Not sure if the ending was a bit too _mushy_ (?), let me know how you feel! **


	30. Loving Relationship

**A/N: Holy handbasket! 30 chapters! Honestly never believed that we would make it this far, but because of your awesome feedback, you've made it impossible for me _not_ to continue the story, so _thank you_ for that. **

* * *

**Chapter 30: Loving Relationship**

There had not been any new, pressing cases during the week following the hostage situation at the government building, as such, the team had spent the majority of their time running down known associates of the culprits who had partaken in the attack.

The two interrogations had gotten them some information about how the culprits knew where and when the meeting would take place, but neither of the two captured men had had any information in regards to, whom were behind the actual organizing and planning of the attack, nor did they have any information as to the reasoning behind it.

Luckily, Eric and Nell had been able to uncover some correspondences regarding the instructions for the job to acquire the folders with the missile tracking software. The discovered messages had been between a burner e-mail account, which the two technical wizards had managed to trace back to an internet café, where they had spotted one of the deceased members from the hostage-taking team on the security cameras. That, alongside the discovery that the other e-mail account was owned by a man with known ties to The Facilitators, curtesy of Interpol, confirmed the running theory that the men had been hired for the job by the criminal group, and did not actually have any personal interests in the innovative missile tracking software.

After the connection to the Eastern European crime group had been uncovered, the team had spent their time looking further into The Facilitators, which consisted of a few trips to question potential witnesses, but mostly mundane deskwork and liaising with Interpol in order to acquire and share further information about the group.

Kensi had been on edge during the entire week as the team had delved further into The Facilitators and their operations. The lead agent had lasted until Wednesday, before confronting his female agent about the fact that she had hid her relationship from them. Callen had voiced his disapproval, since he thought she had been emotionally compromised during the breach and clear, she had countered, saying that she had acted as rational during the whole ordeal as she would have during any other hostage rescue.

Sam had actually backed her up on that statement, which surprised her greatly, since he had originally seemed less than enthusiastic about her relationship with the man, which was another subject that had been left back at the boathouse, where the unpleasant confrontation had taken place.

After that one heated conversation between the three agents, the team atmosphere had been professional but otherwise strained and the tension in the bullpen was palpable, as they kept conversations to a minimum and their usual banter had dwindled to nothingness.

It was because of the declined team spirit, she was surprised when Sam stepped into the gym as she was taking out her frustrations on the punching bag. He just stood behind it and held onto it for a few minutes, absorbing her punches before he spoke up, much softer than she was used to hear coming from the big man.

"I don't want this whole thing to create a rift between us," he started, knowing that she would be aware of what he was talking about. He was surprised to find that her reaction was one of laughter, or more of a slight chuckle, which slightly annoyed him. "What?"

"He actually said something like that as well," she commented.

The larger agent looked quizzically at her, "Deeks did?" He asked.

"Yeah, Marty did," she nodded in confirmation. "Said he didn't want to be the reason we had a falling out."

"Look, Kensi," he started after swallowing hard. "Let me talk out first, and you can counter with whatever you'd like, okay?" He asked hopefully.

Upon receiving a nod, he continued. "I'm not entirely sure how to redeem myself, I obviously crossed the line, and I wish I could tell you exactly why I did that. I'll try to explain again now that we've both calmed a bit, and would like to preface it by saying that I know this doesn't excuse it." He received another nod of acknowledgement, "I knew that you were together with him, when you saw him in the van, but I let you continue with the raid." He saw the surprising look on her face, but continued before she could say anything. "I knew you would have gone in anyways, and I actually respected that… Afterwards, I guess I was just annoyed that you had felt the need to keep it from the team. You know I'm straight up military, he seemed so… lax? Disheveled? I think the word is, which just rubbed me the wrong way, and since I was already in a foul mood, I let my annoyance with you affect my viewpoint on him, and I'm sorry for that."

She looked at him consideringly, trying to gauge his sincerity. She found nothing in his demeanor that said anything against him being completely truthful.

"You're right, that doesn't excuse what you did," she started, before remembering the words of her boyfriend once more that she was to mend the fences. "But I'm glad you were honest, and I appreciate that you didn't say anything before the raid."

He considered her answer, and decided it was the best outcome he could have hoped for at that moment. It was not forgiveness, but it was a step in the right direction. "I know this won't be a one day fix, but is there anything I could do to speed up the process?" He asked, knowing that if she could milk the situation a bit it would both speed up the mending of the fence and brighten the mood between the agents.

"Lunch would be a good start… and I haven't had a donut all day," she laughed, before making her way to the showers. Before she made it to the door, she turned to ask him, "How _did_ you know, I was in a relationship with him?"

Sam shrugged nonchalantly, "I saw the same reactions that I had about Michelle, once."

With that answer, she finished the walk to the female changing rooms, leaving Sam to grab lunch and some of her beloved sugary pastries.

...

As she was driving to LAX to pick up her boyfriend from his work trip, she had time to, once again, ruminate over her whole relationship with the man as well as the dreaded dealings they both had had with The Facilitators.

Although the first encounter with the criminal group _had_ led to the great relationship with the even greater man, whom she cared the most about in the world, she did not like the reminder that the encounters with the unlawful group had also resulted in placing said man in danger. He had taken quite the beating the first encounter, followed by being in danger of kidnapping during the second, and now with the third encounter, where he had been taken hostage alongside some colleagues and Department of Defense employees by armed culprits.

What the emotionally strenuous week _had_ made her realize, was just how deeply she had come to care about the man, whom she called her boyfriend. It was when they had dug up the old cases, where he was a victim, or had been a potential victim, which had given her an opportunity to reflect over the worry. It was that worry she had felt for him at those times that had made her realize just how deep her emotional connection to the man was. She had also been worrying throughout the last couple of days, since he had been in DC to attend a meeting about the software. It was the same software that The Facilitators had seemed very determined to get their hands on, and it was due to that worry and the potential danger he could have been in, that she had decided to tell the man how she really felt the moment he would return home, which would not be too long anymore.

...

She patiently waited at the domestic flight arrivals' security gate, well as patiently as Kensi Blye was capable of. Even though it had not even been a week since she had last seen him, the female agent was practically bouncing from the excitement of seeing him again… and telling him how she felt.

Her 'patience' was finally rewarded, when she saw a tired looking blond walking through the last security check. He was wearing a charcoal grey suit, looking slightly disheveled from travelling, his tie hang loosely around his neck as he pulled his carry-on suitcase behind him. His tired appearance disappeared once he laid eyes upon the wonderful form that was his girlfriend, and the huge smile he reserved especially for her appeared, brightening the otherwise bland arrivals terminal.

He opened his one arm not dragging the suitcase and she took the invitation to close the short distance between them, crashing into him as she enveloped the man in an enthusiastically tight hug.

He chuckled at her fervor, "Missed me that much, huh?"

She let her actions answer for her, as she stepped up on her toes and pressed her lips against his. She tilted her head to deepen the kiss and the world shrunk until it only encapsulated the two, as they became oblivious to the sea of people that continued to flow around them.

They finally parted when air became a necessity, both looking slightly abashed at the display of affection they just showed in the very public place.

"What was that for?" He asked after catching his breath, not really minding the few disapproving glares he could feel on them.

She looked up at him, his eyes had darkened with wanting and lust and she suddenly felt her throat closing up, as she was about to confess her deep feelings. He tilted his head ever so slightly, his blond bangs of hair shifting so she could see his full face, a face whose expression had softened in concern because of her lack of answer.

"I've uhm… I've been doing some thinking lately," she started unsurely. The usually confident agent seemed to disappear whenever feelings with the blond man were in the mix.

He squinted at her, trying to decipher what she was trying to say. Experience had taught him that waiting for her to formulate the words in her head was the best approach, and as such, he took her hands in his and squeezed, silently telling her to take all the time she needed.

"And there's something I've realized that I don't want to wait to tell you," she continued after a little while.

"You can tell me anything, Kens," he quickly assured her.

"I know… and I love you for that," the words flew out of her mouth, before she could stop herself. "I love you, Marty Deeks."

His eyebrows flew up under his hairline in surprise at the admission, at first, she was worried that her admission would scare him away, but she took a breath of relief, when his surprised expression softened and changed to one of admiration and adoration.

"I love you too, Kensi Marie Blye," he answered sweetly, dissolving the last of her worries and earned him another long-lasting and passionate kiss with no thoughts given to any of the passersby.

...

The car ride back to his house had been one of comfortable silence, their hands had been intertwined over the center console for the entire trip, as both longed for any physical connection after their heartfelt confessions at the airport.

They walked together into his house still connected at the hands, content on currently spending as much time together as possible. He went upstairs to do a quick unpacking of his suitcase, as she ordered food from one of their favorite places. As they waited for the arrival of their dinner, they settled on the couch, Kensi shuffled into his side as he lifted his arm to accommodate for her, as they had many times before, but this time it felt so different. He pressed a tender kiss to the top of her hairline, earning him a hum of contentment from his girlfriend, whom he _loved_ and she _loved_ him. That thought still astonished him that this amazing woman had not only agreed to become his girlfriend, but also loved him.

"So…" he broke the silence. "Anything in particular you'd like to do this weekend?"

She thought about it for a minute, and then shrugged. "I don't really mind as long as it's with you."

He chuckled. "That's really cheesy, even for you, isn't it?"

He looked down at the woman, who was resting her head on his shoulder and saw her beautifully mismatched eyes looking lovingly up at him. "Is it cheesy if it's the truth?" She asked teasingly.

He was just about to retort about how that was equally corny, but was interrupted when the doorbell sounded, indicating that their dinner had arrived.

They ate in companionable silence, barring a few comments about some of the more whiny contestants in the mindless reality show they were watching on his rather large television. When they finished, Marty grabbed their plates and brought them to the kitchen, he was gone for a quite a while and Kensi was just about to go to the kitchen to check up on him, when he returned with a large bowl of ice cream in one hand and a bottle of champagne and two glasses in the other.

He shrugged at her quizzical look, "If you can drink beer with ice cream, surely you can drink a celebratory glass of champagne with it as well."

"And just what are we celebrating?" She asked, feigning ignorance.

"Well, for starters the most beautiful woman in the world just told me she loved me today."

"Really?" She replied in a slightly deeper voice than previous. "And what did you tell her then?"

"Well, she was pretty irresistible," he replied, his voice turning equally husky. "So I told her that I loved her as well."

She giggled at his antics, "You're pretty amazing, you know that?"

"If we bring this upstairs, I'll show you _just_ how amazing I can be," his voice deep with wanting.

"How will you do that?" She asked, her voice had turned sultry from the innuendo.

He did not answer, instead he closed the short distance between them, but did not bend down to kiss her as she had hoped. Instead, he gave her the larger bowl, which she confusedly took. When he was happy she had a grip of that, he also gave her the two champagne flutes as well.

Before she could realize what was happening, he had tucked the bottle of Dom Perignon under his arm before sweeping her up in his arms, causing her to laugh loudly before tucking her head against his chest as he carried her up the stairs.

They did not return downstairs to turn on the lights before the next morning.

* * *

 **So... my biggest worry for this chapter was going too OOC with Sam, since we only have a limited amount of references from the TV show in regards to heartfelt conversations from him. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed both that part, and of course the Densi fluffy-fluf.**


	31. A Big Step

**A/N: Again thank you _so_ much for all the support. **

**I wanted to post this chapter since I'll be going away until the end of the week, and didn't want to leave you hanging without new content for too long. What that means is, that due to the timing, I unfortunately have not been able to read through this as many times as I'd usually like. Hopefully it'll still make sense!**

 **I've also posted a one-shot called Inadmissible In Court, and if you enjoy this story, I think the story will be right up your street.**

 **All the best!**

 **Cape**

* * *

 **Chapter 31: A Big Step**

After her boyfriend had returned from his trip to Washington DC, Kensi had been especially hypervigilant around him, since after their heartfelt confessions of love, her protectiveness of the man had flared even more. She was determined that she would keep him safe, until they knew for certain that the clandestine group was no longer interested in the naval software, which her boyfriend was working with.

Because of that, Kensi was adamant that they change up their routines even further when Monday came around. She had been adamant that he should start the week by leaving much earlier than what he usually did, his job luckily had flexible hours unless a meeting had been planned, so it was no problem for him to follow her advice. However, because _he_ had left at such an early time, _she_ now also found herself being at the Spanish Mission much earlier, than when she would usually arrive.

Because of the quiet in the old building, the female agent nearly jumped at the voice of her operations manager. "To what do I owe this early arrival?"

"Oh Hetty, hi, I uhm…" she eloquently answered. "I just had some… paperwork to take care of." She finally answered, then immediately chastised herself for the weak excuse.

The elderly woman looked scrutinizing at the young agent, "I do hope that you are a better liar when working a case, Ms. Blye." She smiled easily. "Would you mind joining me or a cup of tea?"

Normally she would decline the offer, but the thing right now was, that she did not have anything better to do, all her paperwork was done and filed and she felt like she had done plenty of workouts during the weekend, albeit mostly in the bedroom, but she figured that would still count. "Sure." She answered after the short consideration.

"Good. I have some oolong tea brewing, I'm sure you'll find it quite extraordinary." She walked towards her office, knowing that her agent would follow her.

"So…" she started, once they were both sipping the hot drink. "How are you and Mr. Deeks doing?"

Kensi looked unsurely at the tea-sipping woman, unsure what agenda she was currently playing at and unsure of how much about her relationship she already knew. Deciding that the truth would be the best thing, especially since there were not any reasons not to after the relationship was common knowledge at the workplace. "We're doing well, thanks." She smiled at her boss.

"Just well?" Hetty pushed.

"Great, actually." She corrected, "We had a really nice weekend together and we're both happy."

"I see. And how is Mr. Deeks doing after the last incident?"

She did not need explaining what she meant by 'the last incident,' and although she hated thinking about that situation, she knew that they had both come out relatively unscathed. "He's doing surprisingly well, actually." She started before considering how much information she should give. "He's had a few nightmares, but other than that, he is handling it way better than anyone could expect."

Hetty had nodded along in the explanation, she was genuinely pleased that the younger agent's other half was doing well. "That is wonderful news." She stated as cheerily as Hetty's persona allowed. "And how are you and Mr. Hanna?"

She should have expected the question, but because of the wonderful weekend she had spent alongside her boyfriend, everything work related had been in the back of her mind and out of worry. As such, she now had to think about how she really felt about her coworker. Hetty seemed to understand and waited patiently for the answer without prodding further.

"We had a pretty good talk last Friday," she finally started. "He apologized for how he acted towards Marty, and he tried to explain why he acted like he did."

"And did he?" She pushed for further explanation.

"I'm not entirely sure he knew it himself, why he acted as he did, but yeah. Yeah, he did."

"That's good." The operations manager nodded. "And how are your feelings towards Mr. Hanna now?"

"It's okay. I mean, I'm obviously still a bit upset he did that, but I spoke to Marty about it yesterday, and he said he'd forgiven Sam, and wanted me to do so as well." Kensi tried explaining, before somewhat bashfully continuing. "He doesn't want to cause any distractions or rifts at my work."

"He is a smart man, Mr. Deeks," she claimed with a smile.

"Yeah, he is." The brunette agent replied, mirroring the smile and suddenly feeling a whole lot better about the situation.

...

They sat quietly at his dinner table, eating some of Marty's homemade teriyaki chicken, which Kensi had come to love.

"I spoke with Sam today," she broke the silence between bites.

"Mmh?" He looked at her, still chewing. "About what?"

"You actually," she told him, causing him to look quizzically at her waiting for an explanation. "He wants to meet you," she finally continued, closely examining his face for his reaction.

"Wait, what?" His expression was one of confusion, as he definitely had _not_ expected that to be the next words to come out of her mouth.

"We spoke about the rift between us, and although it has gotten better, we both still feel it… and he thought that perhaps if he apologized to you as well, it would help mend fences." She looked down and played with the hem of her shirt, which was one of the few nervous ticks she did not suppress in his company. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to," she quickly backpedaled when he did not immediately respond.

He chuckled slightly, surprising his girlfriend, "Well, the first two times we met couldn't really have gone worse, right? Maybe third time's the charm…" he stopped to look her in the eyes, "Besides, if you think it might help close the rift between you, I'll do it."

She smiled unsurely at him, not wanting him to make a personal sacrifice for her sake.

As if reading her mind, he told her, "Look, Kens. I told you before that I don't want to be the reason there's a rift between you and your team, and likewise, if I can help fix that rift, I'm going to do it, okay?"

"I love you, you know that?" She told him with a softened expression, not able to come close to replicating the warmth she was currently feeling for the man.

"I know," he leaned over and pecked her lips, parting only enough to look into her beautiful eyes. "And I love you, too."

...

"I thought you've already had desert," he told her teasingly, as she left the bed to fetch a container of her favorite ice cream and two spoons. She giggled at his naked form and put a little extra sway in her hips as she walked out the bedroom.

A few minutes later, she was scooting closer to him under the duvet, giggling whilst she was keeping the cold treat just out of his reach. He drew her into a kiss and just as she leaned into it, he snagged the ice cream out of her hands. She only protested half-heartedly, as she knew he was much keener to share the sugary sweetness, than she was.

After taking a few more spoonfuls, Kensi leaned her head on his strong shoulder, a hum of contentedness as he leaned his head on hers. He reached for the remote on the night table, turned on the television across from his bed, and zapped through channels until he wound up on the one showing America's Next Top Model.

"I thought you hated this show," she looked up at him.

"Hate is a harsh word," he chuckled. "It's more of a strong dislike… besides, the woman I love likes the show, and-"

"You're powerless to resist me," she giggled once more. Normally one would have a hard time to get a laugh or chuckle out of her, but whenever she was with the man next to her, they both seemed to come in abundance and even more girly than she would ever let anyone but him hear.

"Pretty much," he agreed easily. "Especially when you're all naked like that."

"You pig," she exclaimed laughingly.

He just chuckled at her less than flattering expression of love. They were lying next to each other, snuggled closely until the episode of the fashion show was over and well into the next episode.

"I could stay here forever," she mumbled into his shoulder, sleep starting to take over.

"Well you're pretty much here all the time anyways," he chuckled, but she could hear he was hinting at something more. She was suddenly more awake once more. As she turned over to her stomach, placed her hands beneath her chin and looked at him, silently asking him to continue his train of thought.

"Well, we're always together at one of our places, and I thought that… maybe… we could consider moving in together?" He asked, a mixture of nervousness and hopefulness in his voice.

He waited for her response, but she was frozen in place. Logically, she knew that it would be the next step in their relationship, but the question still managed to take her by surprise.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have asked," he backpedaled.

"No, no… it's not like that," she immediately felt bad for giving him the wrong idea.

It was his turn to look at her, waiting for a reply. She looked into his blue orbs that were normally full of life, and saw a vulnerability in them, which she had not seen, since he admitted to her the fatal incidence of his childhood.

"It's just…" she tried finding words.

"A big step," he helped her out.

She nodded against his skin, "Yeah."

"Why don't we talk more about it tomorrow?" He offered her, upon seeing her try, and fail, to suppress a yawn.

"Sounds good," she replied even sleepier than before, as she nuzzled even further up, until she settled at the crook of his neck.

He pulled up the duvet to cover her shoulders, as they both slowly drifted into peaceful sleep.

...

As she woke up, she rolled over, expecting to find the warm body of her boyfriend lying next to her. Instead, she found cold and empty sheets. She mumbled a slight swear about having to get up, before she went to grab a quick shower in the en-suite bathroom. She always loved taking a shower there, the combination of the luxurious shower with multiple jets of water and the heated floor made it so much nicer, than what she had been used to, and in other times, she could easily spend the better part of an hour soaking up in there.

Clean and dressed, she walked into the kitchen, where she could hear Marty rummaging. The amazing smell of his breakfast frittatas, a welcome assault to her nostrils.

"Good morning, beautiful," he greeted her, as she tried to sneak up on him to envelop him in her arms.

"How did you?" She started, before choosing to ignore the fact that he somehow always knew, when she was near him.

He just chuckled at her, as he turned around to kiss her.

They exchanged a few routine pleasantries, like 'how did you sleep,' before he plated a piece of frittatas on two plates and brought them over to the table in the kitchen alongside a bowl of fruit for both of them. After a few minutes of content silence, Kensi spoke up.

"I thought about that thing from yesterday," she started, wanting to gauge his reaction.

He cocked his head and looked at her in anticipation. "And?" He prodded, when she seemed to need a tiny push to continue.

"And I think it's something I'd really like," she told him, and was rewarded with the most captivating smile he saved only for her. "But…" she continued, making him look unsurely at her again. "I don't want to just rush through it."

"Agreed," he easily told her. Honestly, he would have agreed to give her the moon, if it meant the two of them moving in together.

"And we'll move in together, here," she told him. It was a bit farther away from the Spanish Mission than her place, but she was used to the journey, and it just made a whole lot more sense seeing as he had much more space than she did.

"Deal." He, again, told her easily. "And we can't really do it fast, baby." He had a glint of mischief in his eyes, "I reckon it'll take _at least_ three months to pack up all your hoardings."

"Oh, shut up," she said, tossing a blueberry at him.


	32. Differences Settled

**Sorry for the long wait! A combination of a family trip as well as being away from my primary PC (I really need to start getting my dropbox to synchronize) kept me from writing this chapter. I hope that you'll all enjoy it.**

 **Some shameless self-promotion for two of my other stories:**

 **Inadmissable In Court is a short one-shot, which is very much alike this AU, and I do believe that many of you will enjoy it!**

 **Toxic Vengeance is very different to this one, a lot darker (rated M) with focus on angst and the eventual recovery.**

 **Anyways, shameless plugs over, I really do hope that you enjoy the following chapter. All the best**

* * *

 **Chapter 32: Differences Settled**

She had spoken to Sam during the week, and together they decided that, barring any interruptions from cases, they would meet with Marty on the upcoming Friday after work, at one of the many places where the team would usually dine after a case. Her boyfriend had easily accepted the offer, wanting nothing more than to help her get back on good terms with her teammate.

Luckily, there were no pressing matters when the time came to leave for weekend. Sam and Kensi left their team lead behind as they both walked towards their respective vehicles. The larger agent was content with following her silver SRX to the small burger joint.

"You sure he's alright with this?" Sam surprised her by asking. It was almost excessively considerate, but it really drove the point across just how apologetic the large man actually was, and for once, she appreciated the man's cautious approach.

"I'm sure," she reassured her colleague.

He nodded in acceptance, "Let's go then."

The two agents pushed the door open and moved into the cozy setting of the diner-esque restaurant. It was a self-seating place, which perfectly matched the lax atmosphere of the place. It did not take Kensi long to spot her boyfriend sitting in a corner booth and she quickly moved towards him, knowing that Sam would be right on her tail.

He went to stand as he noticed his girlfriend approaching, she saw that he was still wearing his work attire, and as such, almost seemed woefully overdressed for the place they were. "Hey." He greeted her easily, with a more subdued kiss than she would usually receive, before turning to the large man behind her, "Sam." He smiled easily at her colleague.

"Deeks," he nodded, shaking the offered hand in front of him.

She immediately noticed the usage of her boyfriend's last name instead of using his first, but since he did not seems phased by it, she decided to ignore that tidbit for the moment.

They slipped into the booth, Kensi next to her boyfriend and Sam across from them.

Before they had time to delve into any sort of talks about apologies or their differences, a kind waiter materialized at their table. They quickly placed their drink orders and got back to the reason they were there.

"I want to start off by saying that, I'm sorry for the way I treated you, last time we met," Sam told the lawyer sincerely.

"Water under the bridge," the lawyer replied with ease. He hated whenever anyone would feel sorry for him, and as such, was quick to dismiss any form of apologies, but he _had_ meant it when he had told Kensi that he would go to the restaurant with her and Sam and talk it out with the big agent.

"It might be," the large agent smiled slightly. "But I still want to apologize. I was way out of line and it won't happen again."

He ran his hand through his unruly blond mop of hair, a sure-fire sign to Kensi that he, too, was uncomfortable. "Appreciate it," he finally told the larger agent after a moment's thought.

"I'm sure Kensi has already told you, but I honestly cannot tell you with certainty, what compelled me to act that way, besides stress and, well…" he actually looked a bit bashful. "Your appearance, I guess."

"I get it," he told the big man, causing him to raise his eyebrows questioningly. "This," he gestured to his face, "Isn't exactly something that inspires confidence or indicated someone who is in control of his life." He chuckled at the last part, causing Sam to join him in a lighthearted chuckle as he realized, that the shaggy lawyer was as laid back as his looks perceived him to be.

"But," Marty continued. "I do care for Kensi and would appreciate if you are able to accept that."

"Absolutely. That's the least I can do," Sam smiled at the couple across from him.

The acknowledgement lightened the whole atmosphere of the booth, the tension dissipated, and they slowly got to talking about random subjects. Before long, and despite their many differences, Sam and Marty kept the conversation flowing nicely between them, Kensi joining in a few times, but for the most part, she just appreciated that the two men attempted to befriend one another because of her.

For the most parts, they kept their conversations lighthearted, speaking about their interests, funny work-related stories, albeit mostly from Marty given Sam's mostly classified work, and, surprisingly to Kensi, also about Sam's home life.

Just after ordering their desserts, Marty excused himself to go to the restroom, leaving the two colleagues alone.

"I'm glad you and Deeks accepted to come today," he told his female colleague.

"Yeah, me too," she concurred.

"He seems like a nice guy," Sam continued.

"The best," she smiled.

...

"Thank you for agreeing to come today," she told him as they walked through his front door.

He sighed, "How many times do I have to tell you, it's alright. I wanted to go as well."

"I love you for saying that, but we both know you wouldn't have gone if it wasn't because of me," she told him.

"Well… yeah," he admitted, knowing she would see right through him anyways. " _But_ ," he started up again, "I happen to have a vested interest in your mental wellbeing."

Her expression softened, as it did every time she was reminded by the level of affection he had for her. Unable to keep from touching him anymore, she hugged him tightly. "I really do care about you. You know that?" She mumbled into his chest.

"I might not be a special agent," he chuckled. "But believe it or not, I _am_ actually capable on picking up on some social cues."

"Oh really?" She had learnt in the early stages of their relationship that humoring him was an easy way to set herself up for teasing, but she just could not resist doing it from time to time.

"Really," he told her mischievously.

"Such as?" She continued humoring him.

"Well for starters… you kiss me sometimes," he started.

She raised her eyebrows feigning surprise, but otherwise did not respond.

"And you tell me that you love me," his teasing voice was slowly turning husky.

"I do?" She could no longer keep a smirk from appearing. Her hands drifted from behind his neck to his chest, resting her hands over pecks.

"You do," he confirmed, nodding slightly. "Sometimes you even make love to me," his voice now full of wanting.

"That can't be," she attempted to sound exasperated, but it came out more as a giggle.

"It's true," he told her, and before she could realize what was happening, he had swooped her up and into his arms, "I'll show you." He whispered seductively, before carrying her up the stairs.

...

"I don't know about you, but I'm spent," he plopped down onto the couch.

They had spent their whole Saturday at Kensi's place, sorting all her stuff and slowly packing it into boxes, readying for the move, they had yet to put an exact date to. Monty had been happily running around in all the moving mess, picking up anything that even remotely resembled a new toy, much to the annoyance, and laughter, of the ones packing.

"Me too," she concurred. "But we did get a lot of stuff done today," she continued, as she sat down next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Still think it'll take three months to pack it all?" She asked teasingly after a few minutes of content silence.

"I'll make sure it doesn't," he told her quickly, causing her to look slightly confused at him. He just shrugged before smiling cheekily at her, "Can't really wait three months for us to move in together."

"Neither can I," she admitted, shuffling even closer to him, as he encompassed her in both his arms. The previously foreign feeling of contentedness filling her once more.

He cocked his head at her, his expression slowly softening as his appreciation for her took over once more, "I love you. You know that?"

Just before she could answer, his mangy mutt started whining from underneath the coffee table, "And you as well, Monty." He chuckled.

"I love you too," she pecked his lips. "But I think we need to take out Monty. Think your 'oh so tired' body is up for a little walk along the waterfront?" She teased him.

He just laughed, pecking her lips once more before getting up. "I'll have you know that someone kept me up 'till very late last night," he argued.

"Pretty sure that was equal liability," she told him teasingly.

He grabbed her and kissed her passionately, causing her to chuckle against his lips. "I love it when you speak lawyer," he told her huskily.

She immediately recognized the look in his eyes, and had to suppress her own wanting. "Dog first, then food, then… we can get back to talking lawyer," she told him in a sultry voice, earning her an overdramatic sigh from her boyfriend.

Marty went upstairs to his room, quickly returning with two of his jumpers, one for each of them. She could not really fathom why, but she felt a tiny buzz of happiness in her stomach every time, she was wearing any of his clothing.

The air outside was not overly cold, but with the sun starting to set behind the horizon, basking the water and beach promenade in its' orange and red glow, Kensi was happy that she was wearing her boyfriends' jumper.

Monty was trotting happily next to his owner, whom had intertwined his fingers with his girlfriends, creating the perfect picture of happy couple, as they walked along the storefronts.

"We could combine the walk with some dinner you know," he told her, nodding towards an outside seating area.

"Are you in a hurry?" She giggled at him.

"Well, you _did_ say dog, food, and then… _lawyer talk_ ," he told her teasingly.

"Why do you have to bring sex into everything?" She asked.

"What? I'm talking about lawyer talk, you know, acquittal, cause of action, jurisdiction, that sort of thing."

"Right, lawyer talk," she shook her head. "As if I don't know a metaphor when I hear one."

"Well you'll know my metaphor, when I whip it out," he somehow managed to keep a straight face through the sentence.

"Oh my god, Marty," she sighed exasperatingly, causing him to finally crack and laugh aloud.

Upon hearing his hearty laugh, she was unable to stay annoyed at him and merely shook her head at his teasing antics. However, she did concede that getting food on the promenade was a wonderful idea, and they walked to a nearby restaurant.

They continued the trend of visiting different restaurants to eat, as Marty had truthfully claimed when they had first met. Kensi was all for it, seeing as it went well with her tradecraft of not following a routine, especially since they still had not managed to find out, whether or not the clandestine group known as The Facilitators was still looking for the missile tracking software.

She made a mental note to check up with The Wonder Twins in regards to their progress on the case, but otherwise she placed it in the back of her mind, wanting to focus and enjoy on the now.

They were sitting outside, but since the chill wind had started picking up, they hurried through their otherwise excellent meal and found themselves back at what would soon be _their_ home.

After some of their extracurricular activities, Kensi shuffled into her boyfriend, resting her head on his shoulder, as they both slowly drifted towards the next day, where they would continue making progress towards moving in together. With that thought, Kensi fell asleep with a content smile on her lips.


	33. Tension

**Chapter 33: Tension**

Their Sunday had been a repeat of the previous day, consisting of sorting through her stuff and then packing whatever she decided to keep into boxes. It was mainly a lot of miscellaneous stuff, such as pictures and trinkets, since they were moving into Marty's home, which was already fully furnished.

He had teased her that normally when two people moved in together, they would usually bring a lot of stuff from the kitchen, since most all kitchen utensils were abnormally expensive. Kensi's kitchen however, hardly had a full set of pots and pans, which greatly amused the cheeky lawyer, earning him a glare from his girlfriend that bore no weight.

The evening ended with a relaxing time spent in front of the TV on the couch, both complaining about how surprisingly exhausting it is to prepare for moving, whilst downing a few beers and eating the pizza they had gotten delivered. A perfect evening if you were to ask either of them.

...

The following workweek had been rather normal, there had been a single drug related case, which they managed to solve within a day, albeit a long one, but otherwise both Kensi and especially Marty had been buried in paperwork. Even though Marty's work had been incredibly busy, they had still managed to find time together to go to Kensi's place for two evenings, both steadfast on progressing on the packing.

Kensi had yet to tell her coworkers that she had decided to move in with her boyfriend, a part of her wanted to tell them, but she had had a nagging feeling in the back of her head, ever since she noticed that Sam had only used her boyfriend's last name, as opposed to calling him Marty.

She had voiced that nagging feeling to her boyfriend a late evening, wanting his opinion on whether or not he thought she was overanalyzing the whole name situation. His inner lawyer had come out and he had told her that he could not answer matters he knew nothing or very little about, and since he did not know the large NCIS agent well, he did not think he could answer her question satisfactory.

After a few minutes of pleading, she finally made him answer.

"What do you do when you're in the field on a case?" He asked.

"Uhm," she eloquently anwering, his question having caught her off guard.

"When you're in doubt whenever you're in the field or undercover somewhere, what do you do?" He clarified.

"I'm not sure," she said somewhat confused by his weird line of questioning.

"C'mon, Kens," he pushed.

"Well, I guess that I… go with my gut feeling?" She half stated, half asked.

"Exactly," he stated, obviously having gotten the answer he was looking for.

She suddenly understood what her boyfriend was doing, "You want me to go with my gut." She stated.

He shrugged, "If it works when you're out being a superhero, why not now as well?"

She thought about the question, wondering how Marty always had an ability to boil problems down to such simplicity. "Thank you," she finally told him.

Resolved with taking her boyfriend's advice, she listened to the nagging feeling, she had had throughout the week. As such, she made the decision of not telling her team, until the move was finalized _and_ she and Marty had settled in their home together.

...

Monty was sleeping underneath her coffee table, while the couple were busy sorting through and packing her stuff, both still content with spending as much time as possible with it in order to speed up the timeline of the move. They were halfway through packing the third box of the day, when Kensi's phone started ringing.

She sighed deeply, when she saw the caller, catching the attention of the man across from her.

"Kensi." She answered the phone. "Yeah. Okay. Right. I'll be there in twenty-five," Marty heard the one-sided conversation.

"Work?" He asked after she hung up, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I really wanted to just get to packing today," she said with a soft expression.

"Me too," he agreed, before asking, "Do you want me to stay here and pack the stuff that you've already sorted?"

"You don't have to do that."

He shrugged, "I wouldn't have offered it, if I didn't want to. You know that."

"I'd like that," she told him after pecking his lips, as she went to stand. "But I really have to go now," she kissed him once more, lingering for just a few additional seconds.

"Be safe," he called after her.

"Always," she told him. "Love you," she called over her shoulder, as she exited the room.

"Love you too," he called after her. He sighed and looked at his happy mutt, who had awoken by the noise, "Looks like it's just you and me now, buddy. Let's pack some of mom's stuff, shall we?"

...

She arrived at work, just shy of the time she had told Callen it would take her. Upon walking into the bullpen and seeing it empty, she quickly made her way up the stairs and towards OPS, knowing that she would find her team there.

The team lead nodded his greeting to her as she entered, before turning to the Wonder Twins, "Alright, let's get started."

"Okay," Eric chirped, before starting his explanation about the case, which involved two marines, who had been ambushed on their way home from a nightclub in the early morning. Nell continued the briefing by giving them some background information on both victims, before the team set out to the scene of the crime.

After following their investigative avenues, the team finally uncovered, that the two deceased marines had been smuggling crack cocaine for a local, major dealer, and when the partnership turned sour, the dealer had decided to get one of his men to off the marines.

Even though all signs pointed at the dealer and his right hand man, they were lacking in the evidence department, and as such, prepared themselves for a night of undercover in the same club the marines had last been seen at, knowing that they would find the suspect in there.

After leaving the OPS center, Kensi quickly made her way to her desk in order to send a message to Marty. She knew that he would just assume that she was working late if she did not show up, but she still felt the need to inform him of the fact, so he would not stay up, waiting for her to come home.

"You texting Deeks?" Sam asked, as he and Callen descended the stairs.

"Yes," she answered, accidentally allowing some of her annoyance to show in her voice. It was really starting to get to her that Sam seemed adamant on calling her boyfriend by his last name.

If he picked up on the harsher voice, which he probably did, he did not mention it. "You've been doing that a lot lately," he commented, making her eyes shift from the phone in hand to him.

"Is there a problem with that?" She asked, somewhat miffed by his comment.

He squinted slightly at her, not sure where the sudden hostile attitude came from. "No, not at all," he defended. "I've just noticed you seem to be together a lot more, that's all."

"Right," was the only answer he received, as she lowered her gaze to the text in question once more, effectively ending the short, uncomfortable conversation between the two. Leaving the large agent to look questioningly at his partner, who shrugged, signaling that he was equally clueless, as to what had just happened.

...

The conversation was far in the back of her mind, when they were in the club. Kensi, unsurprisingly, quickly managed to grab the attention of the dealer, as he waved her over to his private table. She put on her unintelligent, single, and flirtatious persona, which she had perfected over many undercover operations like the one they were doing currently.

The man was the epitome of a chauvinistic pig, and quickly dismissed Kensi as being anything but a dumb bombshell. As such, he was quick to put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him, as if she was already his possession. But since he thought of women as beneath him, he was also quick to start talking business with the men around him, incriminating himself in front of the female agent and having it all recorded, courtesy of her hidden earwig.

After a while at the table, he went with him outside into the alley behind the club for a smoke, bringing Kensi with him. He was still possessively attached to her, holding her close as he brought the cigarette to his lips, the smoke causing Kensi to cough slightly. Just as his hand drifted from her small towards her behind, her teammates identified themselves, weapons raised towards their suspect.

As Kensi drew her pistol as well, which she had hidden in a thigh holster, the man realized what was happening. Before she was able to get ample distance between her and the suspect, he swung his fist towards her, connecting his knuckles with the soft tissue on her cheekbone. She feel over from the impact, but before she realized what had happened, the large ex-Navy SEAL had already tacked the man to the ground, and aggressively pulled his arms behind his back, causing a howl of pain from him.

...

Two hours later Kensi walked through the front door of soon to be _their_ house. They had gotten a full confession from the man, and had requested that the LAPD pick up his right hand man, wrapping up the case nicely.

She had considered going to her place, but due to the moving mess and since it was Sunday morning, she decided to go to his place, so they could spend their Sunday together after they woke up.

Stopping for a moment to pat the mutt, who had woken up by the door opening, on his head, she made her way up the stairs and into the bedroom. Taking a moment to look at the fluffy, blond mess of hair on the pillow, she removed her pants and bra before sneaking beneath the duvet and cuddled up next to him, his body automatically making space for her.

"Kens?" He mumbled into the pillow, his voice husky from sleep.

"Mmh," she hummed against him.

"Hey," he greeted her, his voice still deep from sleep. He kissed her lovingly, before tenderly pushing a tendril of hair behind her ear. He let his hand move to her cheek caressing it gently, but quickly stopped as he noticed her wincing at his touch.

"What happened?" He asked instantly fully awake, concern clear in his voice.

She sighed, she hated worrying him, and even though it was not the first time she had come home a little worse for wear, he was always so protective of her. "It's no big deal… a suspect just caught me off guard," she tried downplaying it. She knew it was only part of the story, but the nature of her work did not allow her to explain everything exactly, and they had both accepted that a long time ago.

"Let me see," he sat up and turned on the bedside lighting.

Her automatic response would have usually been to dismiss him, since she hated the thought of not being able to handle herself, but she had slowly started to accept that she _did_ have someone care deeply for her, and as such, had started to allow him to care for her.

As such, she sat up as well and looked to the side so he could better inspect the bruise that had already formed. "It's not as bad as it looks," she tried assuring him.

His eyes darkened, worry evident in his otherwise blue orbs. He hated seeing her hurt. Reaching for her cheek once more, she prepared for more pain, but his touch was so soft, gentle, and soothing, almost bringing forth tears in her eyes from his tenderness.

"Wait here for a moment," he told her as he walked into the en-suite bathroom.

A moment later, he returned with a soft washcloth and a one-time use ice pack. Activating the ice pack, he wrapped it in the washcloth before he got underneath the duvet once more, carefully dragging his girlfriend down next to him. She snuggled into him and he easily accommodated for her, before he moved his arm over her, and held the icy cold washcloth on her cheekbone.

He kissed her shoulder, "I love you. You know that?"

She melted at his reminder, "I love you too." She told him affectionately. "Goodnight, Marty."

"Night, Kens," he sighed, satisfied that she was actually all right, or at least would be.


	34. Date Night

**Chapter 34: Date Night**

"Are you sure you're okay with going out?" She asked him, having noticed the slight unease he had showed, when she had originally asked if he wanted to go out for dinner.

Even though it was the middle of the week, she had kind of just blurted out the idea of going somewhere for a nice dinner to celebrate that they were almost done packing all her stuff.

"If you want to go have dinner, we'll go out and have dinner, babe." He told her with a brave smile.

She could not blame him for his uneasiness either. A week and a half had passed since she had come home with the nasty bruise on her right cheek and it had started healing quite nicely, the dark blueish-purple color having turned to a lighter shade of green and yellow, but it was still quite visible, even from a distance.

She knew what the immediate assumption would be, when they were seen together. Kensi knew she could look quite fragile at a quick glance, nothing like the tough agent she actually was, coupling that with a bruise on her cheekbone, as well as a muscular boyfriend, and it was clear that people's thoughts would go towards domestic violence.

"We don't have to," she tried a last effort, feeling bad for having put him on the spot.

"Of course we do," he insisted, pushing aside her worries. "Besides, you and I both know you'd take me in a fair fight," his eyes starting to gleam with mischief.

She sighed smiling, deciding to take his bait to alleviate some of the tension, "What do you mean 'fair fight'?"

"Well I think you and I both know, that I would take you if we're fighting _dirty_ ," he winked at her.

"Is that so?" She asked, pretending to be incredulous.

"It is," he confirmed. "But you can find that out _after_ our dinner date."

"So you're okay with going?"

"Yup," he said, popping the 'p' and removing the last of her doubt. "So what are you in the mood for? Something casual or do you want to play dress up?" He then lowered his voice slightly, "I know you _love_ , when I dress up."

She just rolled her eyes at his innuendo, and thought about the question for a minute. "Somewhere in between?" She half-suggests, half-asks.

"Is that your weird way of saying you want to go to 'Il Buongustaio'?" He asked, referring to the Italian restaurant, where they had their first date together. The nice upscale restaurant had quickly become one of the couple's favorite places to go for their date nights, because of the amazing food and nice setting combined with the lax atmosphere.

"Maybe," she said with a sheepish smile, that told Marty she definitely wanted to say 'yes', but let him have the final decision.

...

It had been surprisingly easy to find a parking spot considering the time, which they found not even a block away from the restaurant. They walked the small distance in comfortable silence, and soon found themselves at the entrance to the quaint establishment.

The hostess was kind and outgoing towards the couple, but although she did not say anything regarding it, both Kensi and Marty noticed her hidden disapproving reaction to the bruise on Kensi's face. She considered mentioning that it was _not_ Marty, who had caused her the contusion, but decided against it, since she did not want to make it awkward for her boyfriend by bringing further attention to it.

A few minutes after being seated, they recognized the approaching waitress, Maggie, a bright and bubbly college student, who had served them a handful of times before. The young blonde cheerily asked her about the bruise instead of just assuming what had happened, which Kensi greatly appreciated. She quickly had to make up an excuse, as to how she had gotten the bruise, but having worked undercover so many times, she flawlessly made a plausible story, earning her an appreciative smile from her partner.

The meal was comfortable, since the elephant in the room was answered for due to Maggie's innocent curiosity. They were able to enjoy the amazing food, and quickly fell into comfortable conversation about everything and nothing.

Deciding to go elsewhere for dessert, they left the restaurant, but not before thanking their waitress and leaving a hefty tip for making the experience even better than they had anticipated.

They went to a somewhat newly opened ice cream parlor that they had wanted to try for some while now. Marty had gotten a few angry and disapproving glances from a few customers, but so far, he had been able to ignore them.

That was until a large man stepped in front of the couple just as they were about to exit the store, his broad stance blocking almost the entirety of the door. He crossed his arms in front of his puffed chest. "Just where do you think you're going to get off with that?" He growled at the lawyer, with an expression of disdain.

"Uh, excuse me?" He asked the man, making sure to keep his voice non-confrontational.

"Think you're all tough beating women like that?"

Marty sighed deeply, this was the exact confrontation he had wanted to avoid when he originally was against going out.

Before he was able to come up with a suitable reply, his girlfriend stepped in. "It's not what you think," she started in a voice that was less authoritarian than what she usually sounded like. "I work with special needs kids…one of the oldest ones had a violent episode. Before the supportive staff were able to restrain him, he had already closed the distance and hit me."

During her explanation, she had leaned into Marty to further the idea that there was no bad blood between the couple. Marty had reacted automatically to her movement by wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

The large man seemed to consider whether or not to believe what he had just been told. Finally, he huffed, "You think I'm stupid?" He asked aggressively, "It's clear that he's hurting you, why would you defend him?"

"I think you're _way_ out of line right now, pal," Marty defended himself.

"Yeah? Well perhaps you should have thought about that before you started beating your girlfriend."

Realizing that there was no talking sense into the buff buffoon, the lawyer tried walking past him. Unfortunately, the tactic of avoiding conflict was denied, when the man moved his arm in the way, blocking the rest of the doorway.

"Would you mind?" The lawyer questioned, no longer hiding his annoyance.

"Actually, I would," the man seemed very proud of the retort.

"Move out of the way," Kensi subconsciously stepped slightly in front of her boyfriend in a protective manner, not liking the tone of voice from the brute.

"Aww, do you need your pretty little girlfriend to stand up for you?" He asked condescendingly.

"No, he doesn't," Kensi spoke up once more. "But he's the nice on of us, and since _someone_ can't get it through their _thick skull_ that there's nothing wrong, I need to explain it to you using small words…He. Is. Not. Hurting. Me." She dragged out the words. "Now move out of the way, instead of trying to keep us here so you can, I don't know what you want to do, try and save the damsel in distress or something. Tsk. _Pathetic_."

Without giving the man a chance to retort any of those parting words, she pushed past the muscular man, and pulled Marty along behind her before he either of the men found their voice.

...

"I'm sorry about ruining our night," she sighed, leaning into him.

They had gone straight home after the incident at the ice cream parlor, neither in the mood for their usual stroll along the beachfront, and as such, were now sitting on their couch. Yeah, she now considered the furniture in his house for _theirs_ , not his or hers simply theirs. The thought would usually create a fuzzy feeling inside of her, but right now, she was still annoyed at the situation from the ice cream parlor.

"You didn't ruin our date night, Kens," he told her quietly.

"Yes I did," she exclaimed, annoyed with herself. "You knew that my bruise would cause unwanted attention, that's why you didn't want to go out tonight in the first place."

"Well, yeah…but _you_ didn't ruin our night, Discount Dolph Lundgren ruined half an hour of our evening, I enjoyed the rest of it." He smiled at her before pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Who?" She knew that he was talking about the bothersome man, but had no idea who the name was supposed to be.

"You don't know Dolph Lundgren?" He asked humorously.

She thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't think so."

"Okay, what about calling him Artificial Arnold Schwarzenegger? Bogus Bruce Willis? Oh, I got it…Spurious Steve Austin."

She just shook her head and leaned into him. "Okay, okay, enough," she sighed over her boyfriend's small tangent. "You're right, he didn't ruin our entire evening, but he did kind of ruin our ice cream time."

"Do you want me to grab a bucket from the freezer for a re-do?" He suggested.

" _That_ is not a bad idea," she said, before giggling part in sugary excitement, part in mischief. "Maybe you should bring that to the bedroom so you can, you know, fight _dirty_."

" _Oh really_?" He asked sultry.

"Mmh," she confirmed, before walking towards the stairs with extra sway in her hips, leaving Marty to grab the ice cream and follow her.

...

It was Saturday, and like the few past weeks, they found themselves sitting on the floor in her apartment amongst the plethora of sturdy moving boxes. Monty was happily snoozing away on top of an old blanket they had found in the back of one of her closets.

Marty put the last item into the cardboard box before closing the lid on said box, Kensi quickly taped it shut and looked happily at her boyfriend.

"I can't believe we're done packing everything."

"Me neither," he stood up and stepped over the box, only to sit down next to her and wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his embrace.

"So now we just need to wait for next weekend, when the movers will be coming," she smiled.

"Yup, and then we'll be living together," he could not contain his smile at the thought either.

During their small conversation, their pooch had woken up, and Monty whined at Marty's statement as if he understood what had been said, causing both of their smiles to turn into laughs. "And with you as well, Monty." She told the mutt, who moved closer to her so she could scratch him behind his ear, causing his tail to wiggle happily.

"So…" her boyfriend drew the attention from the dog back to himself. "Since we're done with all the packing, what do you want to do for the rest of the weekend?"

"We could go to the beach tomorrow, maybe even bring Monty?" She suggested.

"Sounds nice," he murmured.

"Mmh," she agreed. "You can surf for a bit, while me and Monty read a book, oh, and then we can eat by the food trucks," she suggested the last bit overly enthusiastic, causing Marty to chuckle heartedly.

"And this has nothing to do with you just wanting to tan and get some junk food?" He questioned her.

"Well that's part of the reason," she admitted.

"What's the other reason then?"

"Well a whole day without you wearing much clothes sounds pretty good," she giggled.

He parted slightly from her in order to see the look on her face, which was a mixture between wanting and mischief, a look he found completely adorable. Even though he thought of her as adorable, he still could not stop himself from pushing her a bit more information. "But I walk around the house without a shirt on plenty of times?"

"That's true," she conceded. "But when we're home, I can't just walk up and get something from food trucks."

The fact that she said it, as if it was the most logical thing in the world, turned Marty's earlier chuckling to a full laugh. When he finally caught his breath, he saw Kensi looking at him with a slightly annoyed look on her face, but she quickly softened, when she saw his expression of pure affection.

"I knew it was about the food," he teased her, and continued before she could. " _But_ a day with us just relaxing at the waterfront in sparse clothing and food truck ordered junk-food sounds perfect," he told her, meaning every word.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter, as always any and all feedback is welcome(!) as well as any suggestions for future chapters, which I may or may not incorporate.**


	35. Unexpected Appearance

**Sorry for the extended wait for this update. I've had a busy couple of weeks, and have needed to prioritize different things over writing fan fiction.**

 **I had originally aimed to upload the chapter Wednesday, but a kind message nudging me on sparked creativity again (you know who you are, and thank you very much!), and as such, this chapter is not what I originally intented, but sometimes it just writes itself. Hope you've all had a great weekend, and that I brighten it just a little more by uploading.**

 **All the best, Cape**

* * *

 **Chapter 35: Unexpected Appearance**

"This is really good," she exclaimed happily, before taking another huge bite out of the fish taco.

"I told you it was good," he replied, feigning smugness.

They had spent the first part of the day on the beach with him surfing and her reading, before Marty had finally been able to convince Kensi to go out on a board of her own, whilst Monty was happily snoozing blissfully on top of one of the many towels they had brought. Not exactly the epitome of a guard dog, but enough of a deterrent to anyone, who might want to take anything nonetheless.

She had only expected to be relaxing on the beach with the book she was currently in the process of reading, and was surprised by the hunger she had built up, while out battling the waves.

"You do know that no one is going to take that from you, right?" He teased, as she devoured her second taco, while he was still enjoying his first.

"Shut up," she told him, still chewing.

"Always such a charmer," he replied overly dramatically, earning him a light punch from her, which only caused his amusement to turn into a hearty laugh.

"I'll go buy a few more," she told him, after having finished the third fish taco. She was not worried about any pitying looks today, her bruise had healed nicely, and was feint yellow color currently. Although it stood out on her tanned skin, the bright sun managed to make it almost invisible, unless you were closely studying her face.

"How you can eat so much is beyond me," he called after her, causing her to turn around and poke her tongue out at him, causing him to chuckle. "Mommy will be right back," he told Monty, and gave him a small piece of the fishy-goodness, causing the mutt's tail to wag happily.

She happily paid for the food. She had originally been apprehensive about trying the tacos, whose contents was of questionable origin, but had soon found them almost as irresistible as the man who had suggested them in the first place. Thanking the owner of the food truck, she grabbed the food and turned to head back to their spot on the beach, when she heard someone call out for her.

"Kensi," the voice stopped her movements, as she quickly remembered from where she knew the voice. "Kensi Blye is that you?" The man asked, using a loud voice so that he knew she had heard him.

She tried to consider her options, but found that her thoughts were one giant mess, unable to compose coherent thoughts at that moment. She turned around and saw the man, whose voice she had instantly recognised, walk briskly towards her.

"I knew I recognized you," he said cheerily, when he finally caught up to her, although something in his voice signaled that he had not actually been surprised to see her there, almost as if he had known she was there. He tried to go in for a hug, but was stopped, when she raised her hand, her palm facing him.

During that small moment of clarity, her thoughts came rushing back to her, and she was overwhelmed by anger towards the man, who had caused her such heartbreak. "After everything that you did to me, you think you can just waltz up in here and pretend nothing has happened?" She barked angrily.

"Kensi please, I never meant to hurt you, I-"

"What do you want Jack?" She interrupted him, her voice was laced with animosity towards the dark-haired man.

"I just wanted to apologize for what happened back then…and maybe see if you'd give me another chance," he replied, but although his words were apologetic, there was a smugness in his attitude, that she had never noticed before.

Before she was able to answer, she felt an arm wrap protectively around her shoulder. "Is everything alright here, baby?" Marty asked, obviously having heard her loud exclamation, and came to see what had happened. He had a feeling, he knew who the man was based off Kensi's stiff body language and the few words he had heard, but was not yet completely sure.

The tall military man was startled by the blond man's sudden appearance, his brows furrowing in irritation towards the man, but quickly recollected himself before either of the two across from him noticed. He had truly hoped, almost expected actually, that she would just fall back into his arms, but it seemed that would not be the case. Despite that, he decided to still to fight for her, for what he deemed as rightfully his, even though it would not be as easy as he had thought.

"Jack Simon," he introduced himself, offering his hand to the lawyer.

The name was the last piece of the puzzle missing, as Marty now fully realized that the man standing in front of them was Kensi's ex-fiancé. She had told him about Jack roughly a week after he had told her about his past with his father. She had told him everything about their relationship and the subsequent heartbreak, which he had caused by leaving her unannounced at such a young age, effectively breaking their engagement, remembering her tear-filled recollections, Marty felt his anger building towards the man.

The normally kind and happy go lucky lawyer was packed neatly away, as Marty simply stared at the proffered hand, before giving the man across from him an exasperated elevator look, not bothering to hide his annoyance at the man's presence, as he took in his features.

"Marty Deeks," he finally told the man coolly without ever making a move towards the outstretched hand.

"And you are?" Jack snarled at the blond, clearly annoyed with the current development.

"Marty is my _boyfriend_ ," Kensi stated, putting extra pressure on their relationship status. She was happy that Marty had heard her and had come to provide backup, as she was not sure, what she would have done if left alone with the man, who had caused her such hardship.

"Is he now?" Jack asked, clearly unimpressed by the sight before him. He saw what most everyone did, the shirtless man, who had his arm wrapped protectively around his ex-fiancé, was a spitting image of a California beach bum. Nothing compared to a decorated marine such as himself, he thought.

"He is," Kensi stated firmly, leaving no room for doubt. "Now what do you want?" She asked, before adding, "And how did you find me?"

"I already told you what I want," he almost growled, before reining in his emotions. "And what makes you think I didn't just happen to see you here?" He asked, feigning innocence.

"That is _not_ happening, and you and I know damn well that you didn't just happen to stumble across me," she barked back, the anger still seeping through her every word.

"Just give me a minute to explain…without _him_ ," he spat out the last word, nodding once towards Marty.

"Not happening," she replied coldly.

"Wait a minute," he told her, obviously having just noticed the faint yellow bruise on her cheek. "Is he violent towards you?" He asked angrily, before looking to Marty and barking, "You like hitting girls, huh? Think it makes you strong to beat up your girlfriend?" Loud enough for nearby people to stop whatever they were doing and watch the developing argument.

To his credit, Marty did not even flinch at the accusation, and Kensi would later realize that he had expected it. "I'm appalled by the suggestion," he started calmly, he had plenty of experience towards angry people from his youth and time in various courtrooms, and through his experiences had found that keeping a calm, but forceful voice was often be the best way to diffuse situations. "I have _never_ laid a hand on Kensi…which is something I've been told that _you can't claim_ ," he watched Jack's features, and saw the man visibly flinch. "Besides, I have no doubt that she would take me in a fight, so why don't you just move along and away from Kensi?"

Instead of dealing with the man, who had just stood up to him, he turned his gaze towards his former fiancé, "You told him about me?" He angrily demanded an answer.

She shrugged nonchalantly, "I don't hide anything from him." She paused to press a kiss to his cheek, knowing fully well that it would annoy the man before her. She then continued, "Now if you will excuse me, I want to continue spending this Sunday in _good_ company, with a man who loves me, and would _never_ just leave." She grabbed Marty's hand and turned on heel, dragging Marty along with herm effectively ending the conversation before Jack had any chance to retort.

Without a glance over their shoulders, they made their way back to their spot on the beach. Monty was happily wagging his tail upon seeing his parents returning, but his tail quickly stilled as he, too, noticed the anger radiating off Kensi.

"You want to go home?" Marty asked cautiously, wanting to gauge his girlfriend's mood.

"Not really," she admitted, allowing herself to let go of some of her built up anger.

"Alright," Marty nodded. "How about we pack up and drive to an alcove that's a bit more private," he offered. "It's only about ten minutes from here," he finally added, when she seemed indecisive.

"Okay…sounds good," she told him softly. "Thank you."

...

"Want to talk about, what just happened back there?" He softly prodded, as they were driving towards the more secluded bay.

"Not really."

"Come on, Kens. No secrets, remember?" He told her, continuing in the same soft voice.

She took a deep sigh in order for her to make sense of her jumbled thoughts. Marty kept quiet, he knew he had convinced her to open up, but also knew that she would need a moment to collect her thoughts. "It's just…I never really expected to see him again, and then for him to just show up like that…"

"It took you by surprise," he finished her sentence for her, when she left it hanging.

"Yeah, it took me by surprise, and I hardly let him talk, I mean, I know he came because he wanted to get back together," she looked to her boyfriend for his reaction, and noticed his mouth was in a tight line and his brows slightly furrowed in displeasure upon hearing that. She put a hand on his leg and squeezed, "That's never going to happen Marty, and you know it."

He smiled slightly at her assurance, "I know." He nodded but seemed visibly more relaxed after having been told.

"But I didn't even let him explain why he left me all those years ago, and I spent so many years wondering, why he would just do that."

"And now you kind of regret not letting him explain himself before leaving," Marty summarized.

"Something like that, yeah," she agreed somewhat bashfully at the admission.

"You are allowed to meet up with him if you want the answer to that question," he told her softly. "Don't _not_ get the answer because of me…I'd hate to see you spend the next year regretting it."

She took a long moment to ponder, what Marty had just said. "I love you for saying that, but I really don't want to see Jack ever again. I don't care why he left me anymore. All I care about is that you are here with me."

He dropped one of his hands from the steering wheel and placed it on top of her hand, "I'm never going to leave you, Kens."

"I know that," she told him softly. "Besides, I now have it on good authority that I can take you down if that was to ever happen," she giggled at her own joke.

He sighed overly dramatically, "For how long are you going to hold that over me?"

"Hmm," she pretended to think about it. "How about the next…let's say, fifty years?"

He just shook his head, but was unable to repress the urge to laugh, and soon they both found themselves laughing loudly in his red Jeep Wrangler. They knew they both had more to talk about in regards to what had happened at the beach, but for the moment, both were content with laughing and making the best of the time they had left of their Sunday.

* * *

 **So...I have for a long time wanted to write about Jack Simon, but never expected it like this. Please do share your thoughts, as always, I love hearing from you amazing people.**


	36. The quiet before

**An upload! It's a Christmas miracle!**

 **Hi everyone, I am _very_ sorry about the lack of updates in the past month and a half(ish). I've been exceptionally busy real life with moving away from my apartment, job interview process, switching majors in university, as well as suffering from an addiction to reading Harry Potter fan fiction currently. **

**I'm not sure how often I will upload, but I expect it to be (much) more frequently than what is has been this Christmas month.**

* * *

 **Chapter 36: The quiet before…**

Walking through the tunnel, Kensi allowed herself to relax a bit once more. She and Marty had spent the rest of yesterday's afternoon in the secluded alcove without further mentions of the incident with Jack, but had a lengthy talk about it in the evening. She had finally voiced her worries regarding her hunch that running into him was not a coincidence, which, after some thought, Marty tended to concur with. He had then kindly offered to have a restraining order created, since he had acquired a plethora of contacts in the legal system through his career, he assured her that it would not be that big of a problem to achieve. However, she declined the offer, much to her boyfriend's dismay, before she managed to appease his increasing worry by suggesting that they differ from their routines even further in the upcoming weeks, hence why she was currently walking into the old Spanish Mansion just after six thirty.

Without any reports to complete, the female agent made her way to the gym to blow off some steam, before following the workout with a lengthy session at the gun range. After taking a shower, that almost resulted in her meeting Hetty's quota for how much warm water the agents were allowed to use at one time, she felt a bit of calm washing over her. As she sat back down at her desk, she pushed the thoughts of yesterday's encounter further out of her mind by focusing on filling out a very important form in front of her.

Her two coworkers came in, early as always, and after the usual greetings, she went back to the form, while her two teammates settled at their respective desks. Sam busied himself with filling out some report with upmost care, whilst Callen was reading a Russian newspaper he had acquired from God knows where.

"What's that?" Callen asked, finally giving in to his burning curiosity after fighting it for five minutes. He had seen his female colleague filling in a blanket of some sort, but had no idea what said blanket was for. Since he had not gotten a paper to fill out, he doubted that it was related to a prior case or even a survey for the team to fill out, but he also doubted that Kensi would bring papers from home to fill out at work, so it had to have _something_ to do with NCIS, he reasoned.

"What's what?" She asked, pretending not to understand his question. Truth was that she really did not want to tell Callen or Sam yet, nor did she want her two friends in the Ops Center to know just yet. For now, she was content with it just being _her_ secret…well, and Hetty's, since Kensi had had to ask her for the form to fill out, not that she doubted that the operations manager already knew.

The team leader raised an eyebrow as if asking 'really?', but Kensi merely ignored his silent prompt for her to explain, as she finished filling out the last lines on the document, grabbing the piece of paper and walking towards Hetty's office with it before further enquiries could be made.

"Don't look at me G," Sam laughed, after his partner's quizzical gaze shifted to him.

"Am I right to assume these are the papers relating to your change of address?" The operations manager asked with an amused expression.

"It is," she responded, even though she knew Hetty already knew that. "I've put Sunday this week as the change, since the movers are coming over on Saturday," she informed her boss.

"I am happy for you, Kensi," she informed the young agent, catching her off guard by the use of her first name. "It is not often in our line of work, that we are able to find partners, who truly seem to understand, but I have a feeling that Mr. Deeks is one of those few."

Kensi nodded, as she allowed a smile to form, "He doesn't understand everything, but he tries. He knows that I can't tell him everything since it's classified, but he still wants to know about both the good and the bad."

"And that is more than anyone of us can ask of a person," Hetty smiled satisfactory. Happy that she had been right in her assumptions regarding Kensi's partner at home.

"It really is," Kensi concurred.

"So if it's not Mr. Deeks who is causing whatever worries you are currently feeling who is it?" Hetty asked knowingly, causing Kensi's eyebrows to shoot up in surprise at the sudden change in subject.

She should not have been surprised that Hetty had somehow managed to notice her slight uneasiness, it was just one of the many things that their operations manager was capable of. While feeling the intense gaze from her boss, she weighed up her options as to whether or not to include Hetty in, what happened yesterday, finally deciding that it would be an extra layer of security for her and Marty, she told Hetty about the short, but intense, encounter she had with her ex-fiancé.

"I see," Hetty commented after her agent finished explaining, what was causing her current worry. She sat silently watching the young female across from her shifted in her seat, no doubt uncomfortable at the prolonged silence. "Am I to assume that you have already taken some measures to protect both yourself and Mr. Deeks?"

Kensi quickly nodded, "We change our routine daily. He has a flexible schedule apart from planned meetings, and he's been a really good sport about everything." The younger agent thought back to the conversation she had first had with her, back then, new boyfriend in regards to her routine.

 _He had just suggested a 'secret code word' for both of them, which, after a moment of thought, she actually thought was quite a good idea. She quickly reasoned that the word in question had to be something that they would not ordinarily use and that it should be something they could realistically say in front of strangers without tipping them off._

 _Immediately she felt regret, when she saw the cheeky grin on his face, his ocean blue eyes sparkling mischievously, before he proudly proclaimed, "Sugarbear!"_

 _She attempted a scolding glare, but was unable to keep a smile from tugging at her lips. She really should not have been surprised about his almost childish demeanor from time to time. There was also the point, that she really could not chastise him for the word, as it did check all the requirements, which she had put up for the word._

 _Before she was able to say anything, he chuckled slightly before proudly sitting up even straighter, albeit with mischief still clearly printed on his face. "And your word will be 'Casanova', since, you know, I'm a sexy and romantic man."_

Shaking her head slightly in amusement, "He actually suggested that we each have a _secret code word_ for both of us, in case we get in trouble and can't outright say so."

The operation manager nodded thoughtfully at the addition, but if anyone had looked carefully, they would have seen Hetty's mouth twitch upwards ever so slightly in amusement, before she was able to control her features once more.

"Anything else?" Kensi asked after a moment of silence.

"Not at the current moment, I believe," Hetty smiled easily at her subordinate as she gestured towards the bullpen, silently giving the female agent permission to leave the impromptu meeting.

...

Although there was some general prodding from her two team members throughout the day, she neither disclosed, what she had been talking to Hetty about, nor what the document she had been filled out in the beginning of the day was.

Pulling up at their house, she immediately noticed an unfamiliar vehicle. The newer model Cadillac immediately put the trained agent on high alert, as she knew her boyfriend had not said anything about expecting guests. Walking briskly towards the door, she made sure to keep a hand firmly around the grip of her gun on her small.

"Baby, I'm home," she called loudly upon entering her home. Normally it would seem bad tradecraft to announce oneself, but she figured it would work towards deterring any harm bestowed upon her special other in case a perpetrator was with him.

"In the living room," he quickly replied.

The fact that he was in the living room made Kensi loosen her hold on the grip of her gun slightly, knowing that no one with more than a few brain cells would beat someone in the living room, as the plethora of windows would make for easy detection.

Her eyebrows shut up in surprise at the guest, across from her boyfriend sat his best friend, the basketball star, Kip Brigham.

"Hi Kens," Marty greeted her, standing up to welcome her home with a peck on her lips.

"Well I'll be damned," the athlete chuckled. "Here I was thinking good ol' Marty Mar was pulling my leg." He pulled himself up from the lounging char and greeted the brunette kindly, "Nice to meet you under different circumstances."

"Likewise," she accepted the proffered hand. She them turned to her boyfriend, shooting him a slightly disapproving look. "I thought we agreed to text if we got visitors?"

It was part of the whole 'super-secret agent way of life' thing, as Marty had dubbed it, since her instinct automatically turned into overdrive, when unexpected things happened…especially at the current moment, with the looming of her ex-fiancé hanging over their heads as well.

"I just arrived," Kip defused, before changing the subject away from his once partner-in-crime. "Went here straight from the airport; wanted to give you something before heading home."

Marty tried holding back a laugh, when he saw how quickly his girlfriend's demeanor changed upon hearing the idea of receiving a gift. It was one of the many things he had in common with Kensi; their love of receiving, but also especially giving, presents. They were both without parents for the longest time, which meant that they were not used to getting any, and as such, absolutely _loved_ any- and everything regarding the surprises.

"I demanded that I get you two tickets for our game this weekend, since it's the local derby," Kip smiled brightly, as he pulled out two tickets for the LA Clippers versus Los Angeles Lakers.

"Thank you so much," Kensi told him appreciatively. Upon studying the tickets, she noticed that they were courtside seats as well, making her eyes bulge at the prospect of being so close to the action.

They spent another thirty minutes chatting about everything and nothing. Kip was especially interested in how they got into a relationship, never straying from telling his best friend that he was the first, who had predicted it.

Kensi got to hear some hilarious stories from, when Kip and Marty were younger and was happy to hear the fondness, which the famous athlete retold the many mischievous adventures they had endeavored upon.

When Kip left to drive home, much to Kensi's dismay, she and Marty ordered Korean food. After having eaten, they retreated to the living room to spend the rest of their evening cuddled up on the couch with a half-gallon bucket of Rocky Road ice cream, watching America's Next Top model, commenting on all the great, and quite terrible, things that happened on the reality show.

When they finally went to bed, it was quite a bit later than planned. Kensi had insisted it to be a sin to not empty the bucket of ice cream, which meant they 'had' to watch another episode of her beloved show before retiring to bed. Never one to argue against her sugar addiction, Marty merely chucked at her claim before feeding her another spoonful of the treat.


	37. the Approaching

**Thank you for all the wonderful support! The views (and reviews) on the last chapter was absolutely insane! I really do appreciate it.**

 **I hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas and will have an amazing (and safe!) New Years.**

* * *

 **Chapter 37: …the Approaching…**

"Kensi," the team leader called, grabbing his agent's attention as he sat on the empty table across from her. "You've been acting a bit… _off_ this entire week. What's going on?"

He and Sam had discussed after work two day prior, that their subtle proddings and openings for Kensi to open up about whatever was bothering her was not going to get them the information that they felt they needed in order to help their friend. As such, they had agreed upon using a more direct way of gaining that information, whilst still, at least somewhat, respecting her privacy. After all, Callen had a responsibility to ensure that his team was on top of their game at all times, and felt that the way Kensi had been acting apprehensively was interfering with their ability to perform at the top of their game. They had felt that Friday noon would be best, since doing it just as they got off work would enable her to just leave, and they did not want whatever was bothering her to fester over the weekend, where they could do nothing unless a pressing case emerged, and even then, they would be busy working.

"Nothing's wrong. Why would there be anything wrong?" She automatically deflected.

" _I_ didn't say anything was wrong," Callen corrected and could see his friend chastising herself for the slip. "Now can you tell us what's been bothering you?"

The young female agent sighed loudly, knowing that since she obviously had not been able to keep her worrying completely hidden, she was pretty much inclined to fess up to her friends and colleagues. "I'm not too sure, where to start." She weakly tried to avoid talking about it one last time.

"Why don't you start at the beginning?" Sam suggested softly, worry and caring evident in his voice. He really was a lot better at this stuff than Callen.

"Right…" she chuckled, taking a deep breath before delving into the explanation. "Well…there are a few things you don't know about me. One of them is that I used to be engaged to a Marine." Both of her teammates' eyebrows shot up in surprise. Normally she would have chuckled at her ability to force an expression that visible on to their, or at the very least Callen's, usual stoic faces.

"Anyways," she started back up after another deep sigh. "He was suffering from PTSD upon returning back home, I did everything I could; stalled my education so I could make sure he took all his meds, while taking him to all his appointments. One day when I woke up…one day he was just _gone_. No note, no _nothing_ …I never really figured out what happened to him, I guess everything just became too much for him. That was until last weekend when he saw me at the beachfront."

"You don't think that was a coincidence," Sam deduced.

"No, I really don't," she admitted.

"That explains your visit with Hetty Monday morning as well," Callen added cheekily.

"But not the paperwork you were doing," Sam added as a curious afterthought.

"Right," she held back from rolling her eyes, because of course they had remembered that. "Well you both know about me and Marty right?" She waited for them both to nod before continuing, "Well, that paperwork was the documentation for me moving in with him."

"You what?" Callen asked incredulously.

"Kensi, why didn't you tell us?" Sam asked a lot calmer than his partner did. There was no hiding the slight hurt in his voice, which was caused by the belief of her not having felt that they were entitled to the information. Or that she downright did _not_ want them to know.

She shrugged, "I guess it was a combination of the residual anger and annoyance from, when you really hurt Marty at the boatshed and I guess it was nice just having something to myself. Besides, neither you nor Callen ever really talk about your home life."

"That's because Callen doesn't have a home life," Sam commented, causing the female agent to chuckle.

"Hey-" Callen started before being interrupted.

"But _you_ do," she shot back.

The large, retired Navy-SEAL nodded solemnly. Whilst her words had sounded angry, there was the same foundation of hurt that he, himself had used just a minute prior. It made him reflect on how he had treated his colleague-turned-dear-friend, causing him to realize that he never really talked with her about anything of _his_ private life, but had still expected her to keep him 'in the loop' in regards to hers. "I guess I _have_ been keeping you out of that." He finally agreed with her statement.

"You have," she nodded in concurrence.

"I'll try to improve on that," he promised and shot her a genuine smile.

"Thank you," she smiled back. "But back to the matter at hands; Marty and I have talked about Jack's reappearance and both agree that it just seemed a bit 'too convenient' that he suddenly popped up, where he did. I mean, with all the beaches in L.A. and all the different food trucks, he just _happened_ to stumble upon me."

"I don't buy it either," the team leader said after a moment of silence.

The three spent the rest of the day working on possible reasons for the sudden reappearance of the once long-forgotten ex-fiancé. The two senior agents started theorizing possibilities, while Kensi bit the bullet and walked upstairs in order to bring her two other colleagues into the know.

...

"Hey babe," he yelled, when he heard the front door open.

"Hey you," she greeted him with a tender kiss once she had reached the living room.

"How was work today? Any world-saving action going on?"

"No, but I wish there had been," she admitted and plopped unceremoniously down on the couch, causing him to tilt his head questioningly. She sighed in preparation to answer his wordless question, "Sam and Callen had noticed me being… _off_. And that kind of forced me to tell them about Jack…and about me moving in with you."

He stood in front of her, with an expression painted on his face that she knew well. He was deep in thought. Being in a relationship with the shaggy lawyer, she had quickly realized that, while he may look and act as if he is extremely impulsive, _admittedly, he is quite a lot of the time_ , she thought, but whenever he felt the need to, he would analyze and consider every option and potential problem, be that emotional or logical. It was what made him so good at his job; he was able to notice problematic areas that no one else would have ever even thought of.

"Did you tell the Wonder Twins as well?" He asked after a minute of deep thought.

Kensi looked at him with a lifted eyebrow, whatever she had expected him to ask that certainly was not it. "I did, yeah," she nodded, still not sure where he was going with it.

"And you're okay with all of them knowing?"

"I think so, yeah," she nodded slowly. "Wait, are you talking about knowing about Jack or about us?"

He shrugged, "Either...both?"

"I think so. I mean, Jack was a long time ago and sure it hurt a bit, when he popped back up, but I'm not ashamed of it."

"And what about me?" He asked surprisingly timidly.

" _Never_ ," she stood up quickly to embrace him. She reached around him and pulled him close, squeezing tightly as she rested her chin on his chest, so she could still look into his ocean blue eyes. "I love you, Marty Deeks and I will _never_ be ashamed of being with you."

"Good to know," he chuckled nervously, kissing her forehead before resting his chin on top of her head.

Neither had any idea how long they stood embracing one another. Both deep in thought. Marty about what he had done to deserve such an amazing woman in his life, and Kensi silently cursing a certain Gordon Brandel for being the root of most, if not all, of Marty's insecurities, which still crept up on him from time to time.

...

Meanwhile, somewhere in Los Angeles, a tall man with a buzz-cut walked out of a hardware store. It had been the second last shop on his list, and as he opened the trunk of his car, he chuckled disturbingly in mirth at the different tools and accessories lying in front of him.

Slamming the trunk shut, he made his way to the driver's side, got in, and made his way to the last stop of the day. Smiling as he reversed out of his parking spot, he was still surprised by how quickly he was able to get a gun license. He reasoned that being a Marine had a large impact on that.

...

"Are you _sure_ that you're going to be back in time?" He asked for what seemed to be the thousandth time.

"Callen assured me that it's just some security consulting," she smiled at his worry.

"Oh good," he claimed loudly. "But still…being called in for _security consulting_?" He asked surprised at her task.

She laughed at his confusion of the task, "Well, I think Callen said it was some Admiral, who threw his weight around." She shrugged. "Either that, or Hetty thought it was a good idea of having him owe her another favor."

"Right," he chuckled walking alongside her, as they made their way down the stairs. He had been told quite a lot about Hetty throughout his and Kensi's time together. Although he had rarely been told specific examples of her scheming, he was almost convinced that she was the master of the universe, or at the very least a high-ranking general in the Galactic equivalent of NATO.

"Be safe," he kissed her goodbye at the door.

"Still only a consultation," she reminded him jokingly.

"Be safe nonetheless," he kissed her one last time before releasing her. "See you tonight."

"See you tonight," she called back over her shoulder, as she walked down the driveway and got into her car.

Marty watched from the door until the silver vehicle was out of sight. He closed and locked it, before being surprised by someone behind him.

...

The one surprising him quickly leaped at him, knocking the lawyer down with surprising force.

"I love you too, Monty," he said laughing. The dog was now quite old and because of that, he had made it a point to always encourage any excess of energy it displayed. That was the reason he did not get up from his position, as he was supine in the hall and let himself receive several slobby kisses from the happy mutt, whilst scratching the rescue dog behind its ears.

Once he felt like he did not want to continue being showered in dog saliva, the lawyer sat up, but continued to pet Monty. "I guess since mommy is out, the two of us could take a long walk." He smiled as his companion's ears stiffened at the last word. "Wanna go for a walk, boy?"

His response was immediate, as the clever dog, with impressive speed for his age, immediately darted for his leash with his mouth bringing it over to his owner, who quickly fastened it and unlocked the door before the partners walked out into the Los Angeles late-morning sun.

...

He had pulled up just as the, by now, well-known silver Cadillac left the luxurious estate. He had planned just staking out the house for the day, and having Kensi leave made no difference to his plans, as she was not his intended target anyways.

He had just gotten settled in, with the music playing from his preferred radio station, whilst he watched through the tinted windows of his vehicle, when he saw the front door of the targeted building open. The man, whom he hated with a passion like a thousand burning suns, walked out onto the street, with an ugly pooch walking alongside him.

A sadistic smile formed on his face. He had planned to continue to surveille for the next few weeks, but he _did_ already have all the 'equipment' he wanted, as such, and with the reasoning that he was unsure how often an opening like this would occur, he turned the keys in the ignition again, before pulling out of his spot to follow his target.

* * *

 **Oh no(!) a cliffhanger, sorrynotsorry!**


	38. Storm

**Chapter 38: …Storm**

"I can't believe he'd pull rank just so we can double check the security of his fancy party," Kensi exclaimed incredulously from the backseat, as they departed from the old Spanish mission.

The three of them were on their way to the Admiral's mansion, which was the location for the party he and his wife would be hosting that night. Apparently it would be Admiral Lyne's retirement party after a long and distinguished career within the Navy, and, according to Hetty, the good Admiral had forgotten to make an inquiry for further security consultancy for the event. Because of that, he had requested the aid of Hetty, whom was an old friend of his, and since Hetty was rarely one to deny gaining favors from people in positions of power, she gracefully accepted it, knowing fully well that she would have to give her agents time off at another point. However, she felt that it was overall well worth the extra effort for the weekend despite the fact that it would sour her agents.

"We've done security before, you know that, Kensi," Callen chastised his agent.

"I know that," she quickly concurred, before pointing out. "But we _usually_ get told in advance, unless there's an imminent threat to the event discovered." Causing the team leader to look at the driver for backup.

"Don't look at me, G. For once I actually agree with Kensi, and I _was_ looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home with my family."

The team lead sighed heavily at being ganged up upon, although all three of them knew it bore no weight, as he, too, was slightly put off at being forced to work, for what Kensi had correctly concluded as a 'non-emergency'.

"Might not be ideal, but we still have a job to do," Callen finally voiced.

"Of course," Kensi agreed. Although she had voiced her annoyance, she was always the perfect professional, whenever in the public eye and this would be no different.

The discussions in the vehicle turned into their usual banter, as Sam expertly navigated through the weekend-traffic, ensuring that they reached their destination a whole ten minutes earlier than expected.

...

"Come on, come on, go into one of the side streets," he mumbled to himself, whilst tapping mindlessly on the steering wheel.

He had spent the majority of the time during the last hour discreetly tailing the scruffy lawyer, but had yet to see an opening to approach him unseen. Although he did not have an exact confirmation as to his ex-fiancé's occupation, he had been able to deduct that she was working for NCIS, and as such, he would need to be extra careful, when getting rid of her current boyfriend.

 _Finally_ , he thought, when he saw the blond man and the mangy mutt turning into a less trafficked alley. _It must be a shortcut back to his place_ , the shady Marine reasoned to himself, as he pulled up just outside the entrance to the alley. He did not want to drive his vehicle in there immediately, as it would be much more likely that the unworthy lawyer would notice him.

He hastily exited his rental car, making sure that he did not fully close the driver's side door, since there was the faint chance that the sound would capture the attention of his target. Taking long strides, he quickly caught up to the scruffy lawyer and matching mutt. Getting slightly in front of them, he discreetly pulled his illegally obtained pistol from his inner pocket and turned around pointing it towards the chest of bastard, whom had stolen his fiancé.

...

They had just arrived at the given address and as Sam pulled into the long, gravelly driveway, they saw the large mansion, in which the event would take place. It was a two-story home in yellow bricks, four columns supported the small outer deck that made way to the massive oaken front door. A butler smilingly stood waiting in the open entrance and gestured for them to join him into the house.

Just as she had climbed the first of the five small steppes to the deck, Kensi's phone started chiming; the chorus from the Baha Men's hit ' _Who Let The Dogs Out_ ' played. Marty had somehow managed to set that as his personal ringtone and Kensi had yet to get herself to change it back, since it always caused a small, somewhat embarrassed smile every time it played. "I'll catch up with you in a minute," she told her colleagues.

Removing her phone from her pocket, she frowned slightly at the realization that this was the first time Marty had actually knowingly called her, whilst she was at work. Usually he would send her a text as to not disturb her.

Nevertheless, she dutifully picked up her phone, "Hi baby, what's up?"

" _Hi sugarbear_ -" she heard from the opposite end of the call. Anything else past that term of endearment was a blur. Her stomach tightened uncomfortably and she shivered slightly as the feeling of ice running through her veins washed over her. Never had she imagined the need for him to utter their distress word.

"Sorry it's a bit noisy here, could you repeat yourself?" She asked after managing to somewhat rein in her turmoil of emotions.

" _I just said that I won't be able to make it to the game tonight. Some new contract popped up at work and they need the best they have._ "

If the distress word had not been enough, she was now certain, because Marty Deeks was nothing if not humble to a fault, an unfortunate trait from his lousy upbringing. As such, she knew he would never claim himself, although he would be correct, to be 'one of the best they have' in Minerva Precisions.

"Couldn't they get someone else to help with it instead?" She asked, trying to keep him on the line in case she would be able to hear anything distinguishable in the background, or perhaps even get him to divulge a clue or the like.

" _I'm sorry, it's gotta be me. I'll make it up to you, I promise._ "

"I'll hold you to that, _Casanova_ ," she told him, putting extra emphasis on her 'super secret password' to let him know that she knew something was up.

" _Okay, I've gotta run, babe. Love you._ "

"Love you too," she told him just before the line went dead.

Pocketing her phone, she walked determinedly into the large mansion before her, her mouth set in a grim line, with her expression bordering somewhere between fiery rage and extreme worry.

...

"I'm not really sure you've thought this through," he told him provocatively. "I mean, what was your thought process? Was it like, ' _hey I see my ex-fiancé, whom I just left one day have gotten over me. I guess I'll try and win her back by kidnapping her new boyfriend_ '?" He asked, doing his best 'not-very-bright' voice.

"Shut up," the decorated marine barked.

Marty just let out a low whistle, "You really _did_ think that, didn't you?" He chuckled. "I guess nothing screams 'I want you back' more than kidnapping someone's boyfriend at gunpoint and forcing them into a car with you. Where are we going by the way? Can we stop quickly for coffee? Never did get around to that on my trip with Monty."

The angry ex-fiancé of Kensi's had forced the lawyer to release his dog in the alley, before discreetly, but firmly, ushering him into the rental car, where he forced Marty to cuff himself.

"Will you shut up?" Jack growled, before turning around and hitting his soon-to-be-victim across the face with the gun, splitting the shaggy lawyer's eyebrow and effectively quieting him.

A few minutes later, they pulled into an older parking garage at one of the few abandoned shopping malls that was off the beaten path, ensuring as much privacy as possible, whilst still being somewhat in the middle of the huge city. Once they were completely stopped, Jack turned around and handed the, now slightly injured, blond his phone with the order to call his girlfriend and tell her that he would not be home. Instructions to have the phone on speaker and to keep the excuse simple was just as clear as the threat of further bodily harm, which hung thick in the air of the vehicle.

...

"Good, there you are Kensi. We need you to-" Callen stopped himself from briefing further once he saw the grim expression on his female agent. "What happened?" He asked concernedly.

"Something's happened to Marty. He called me telling me that he'd have to go into work and would miss the game tonight."

"Couldn't they just be busy at work?" Sam ventured carefully. They both knew that she had looked forward to the game with immense anticipation, but even so, it would not account for the mixture of raging fire and concern in her mismatched eyes.

"He used our distress word," she responded slightly distraught, before turning towards Callen to further convince him. "I'm telling you, there's something wrong." She finished looking pleadingly at her superior.

The senior agent needed only a short moment to process the information given. "Alright, call Eric and Nell in OPS, see if they can get a location on, where the call was made. I'll call Hetty and tell her what's going on."

Nodding her acceptance, she quickly called the two technical wizards, silently thanking whomever for the fact that Eric somehow always picked up within a single chime. Kensi quickly brought Eric and Nell up to speed, and within a minute, Eric was in the process of tracking Marty's cellphone, whilst Nell started combing through all security cam footage near his and Kensi's house in order to track any movements from the lawyer, from after the female agent had left.

Two minutes after ending the call with the technical gurus, Callen emerged from further inside the house, "I've just informed Admiral Lyne that we will be leaving. Hetty is sending a secondary team to ensure the security here." He stared into the intense mismatched eyes before continuing, "Our priority is to find and retrieve Deeks. Whatever means necessary."

Getting an appreciative, but firm, nod in reply from the female agent, the team leader took long strides towards their parked vehicle, knowing that his teammates would be right on his heels.

They quickly took their leave from the large mansion and drove, much faster, down the gravelly path leading to the street below. Cutting a bright orange cabriolet off, Sam turned into the busy street before speeding towards Malibu and the last known whereabouts of his teammate's boyfriend.


	39. Searching

**Two uploads in one day? What sorcery is this!?**

 **Apologies for the delay in uploading here, as I said in the upload to Toxic Vengeance, I have been incredibly busy with real life. That is due to me leaving to work at a Summer Camp in the beginning of April. What that means for this story is that it (with almost certainty) won't be updated between April and late August. As a small consolation prize I aim to upload 1-2 more chapters prior to leaving, which will hopefully take the sting away.**

 **Anyways, thank you all so much for the continued support, you're all awesome!**

 **\- Cape**

* * *

 **Chapter 39: Searching**

After having received a call from her lead agent, the old operations manager sighed deeply. She unlocked the top drawer in her large desk and from it drew a brown manila folder. The file had been compiled partly because, she had found joy in doing such a task again, but most importantly, it had been compiled as an additional safety measure. She had spent the evening after the talk with her female agent about the sudden appearance of her ex-fiancé collecting the information, and now, if her suspicious was correct, she was very pleased she had done so.

Folder in hand, she made her way up the stairs and towards her technical personnel. The thick metal doors automatically moved aside, as she entered the hyper-modern operations room.

"Mr. Beale, Ms. Jones. Information that might help us find Mr. Deeks," she told both the technical whizzes.

Flipping through the first few pages, Eric looked to his boss, "This is a file on Jack Simon?" The shorts-wearing technical operator half asked, half stated. "Isn't that the guy who was engaged to Kensi and just left?"

"Indeed."

"It has information on a rental car in it," Nell stated seconds after, having read ahead from over Eric's shoulder.

Catching on to what she was saying, Eric supplied, "All rental cars have GPS in it as a security measure. We should be able to hack into their database and track, where its current location is."

Nodding in appreciation of their swift problem solving using her information, Hetty departed with the parting words, "I would have Ms. Jones tracking this information on the rental vehicle, and you, Mr. Beale, look into any footage from, where Mr. Deeks might have been taken."

...

Upon entering the room, Marty had quickly surveyed the surroundings. The single door he had just been pushed through was the only entrance or exit to the room, which seemed to be quite large considering it was only filled with dust-ridden cleaning supplies. Had the situation been different he might even have laughed at the irony of that.

Marty was forced down on an old, wooden chair. His hands were then each separately tied behind his back, where they were fastened to the spindles of the chair, making escape a futile thought unless he was actually able to somehow _break_ the chair, or at the very least the spindles on it.

"Don't go anywhere," the voice of his captor ordered, apparently some sick attempt at dark humor, as the form exited the room.

His head slumped a little from a combination of worry and waiting, causing his eyes to be covered by his messy blond mop of hair, which dirtied his long locks with some of the still un-coagulated blood from his split eyebrow.

His thoughts were fighting amongst themselves; the logical side with constant worry and dread that he again somehow found himself in potentially mortal danger. The other side, the loyal side, was steadfast that Kensi would break through the door to his left at any time and rescue him. It almost seemed like a common theme in their relationship ever since they met. Even starting before they actually got together as a couple.

Before he could delve further into the argument between logical and loyal in his mind, the door he had watched the hated form of Kensi's ex-fiancé exit out of a few minutes ago sprung open with the force of anger.

"You know, I thought about just offing you, but I _really_ wanted to eternalize it." Jack Simon told his captive with a wicked grin.

The tall Marine took a few steps into the room, which was about eight feet in front of the subdued lawyer, and started setting something up that distinctly looked like a tripod. A minute of fumbling later, it was confirmed when a camera was placed atop of the metal contraption.

Once it was properly fastened, the shady ex-fiancé turned even more feral and wicked than, when he had entered the room. "So…let's get started," his voice dripped with promised agony.

...

They had been speeding through, or as Marty would have said flying at incredibly low altitude, for about ten minutes, when the team leader's phone chimed.

"You're on speaker. What do you got for us, Eric?" He asked before even greeting the man opposite of the call.

"Alright, so…we managed to find out, where Marty was taken from. Kensi…it seems that it was Jack Simon, who kidnapped him."

Sam looked at the junior agent through the rear view mirror and the expression he saw on his female colleague's face was enough to have his blood run cold through his veins. She looked completely murderous. Her jaw was firmly set, her lips a thin, strained line, and her mismatched eyes burned with the intensity of raging infernos. It was clear she was battling control of her rage in order not to blow up inside the car with them.

Her expression reminded him about their confrontation in the boathouse, where the blond lawyer had also been involved. That time now seemed like a slight irritation in comparison to her current expression. He made a mental note to be the first one to apprehend the Marine, Jack Simon, lest Kensi gets her hands on him first. With that last thought, he tuned back into the conversation going on in the car.

"Did you get the vehicle he was driving?" Callen asked.

"I can do better than that," Nell chimed in. "We have the current location of his rental. It's in the parking lot of an abandoned shopping center."

Before any response could come from the agents, the technical operator sounded, "I've sent the address to your phones."

Seeing the new coordinates pop up, Sam quickly redirected their course, but was pleased to see that they had been travelling in the general direction anyways.

"Good. Call us back if you get anything more," he ordered, ending the call.

...

"Haven't you watched The Dark Knight?" He asked with more arrogance than he currently felt. Without getting an answer, he continued, "I mean, if you had, you'd have known _never_ to start an interrogation by punching someone in the head. I mean it just seems logica-"

" _Shut up_ ," his captor interrupted angrily.

"I thought you wanted me to talk, Jackie-boy?" Marty said before he could stop himself from taunting the increasingly angry Marine in front of him.

"Just shut up right now, or I swear to God that I'm going to put a bullet into you."

They had been at it for about forty-five minutes now. Based on the expression on the kidnapper's face, Marty had expected to receive one of the worst beatings of his life before having his life ended. Although the camera had been placed and was ready to capture his upcoming demise, it had yet to be turned on. As far as Marty could tell, him getting the life beaten out of him was still the plan the slightly deranged Marine had. However, said Marine also wanted information regarding Kensi from the past years, where he had been absent, so it seemed the lawyer's inevitable fate had been postpones, albeit only a short while.

He wanted to know everything about her personal life, which at first seemed a little weird to the restrained lawyer, but he quickly realized it was because the disturbed brute wanted the information, so he would have an easier time 'wooing' his ex-fiancé.

He had also wanted information regarding her work, it was not hard to figure out that the Marine wanted to know _exactly_ who and what he was up against. How the Marine wanted to stay out of the claws of Kensi and her team and _still_ get together with said female agent was anyone's guess. Marty surmised that the Marine really had not thought things through. He had stored that information away not yet sure, whether it would be of use later on.

"Now tell me, does she work alone or does she have a team with her?" If the gruff voice of Jack had not brought him out of his thought, the backhanded strike to his cheek certainly had.

Marty did his best attempt at a shrug with his hands individually tied down, "I'm sure that she as an executive assistant at a biometric technology company work with at least some people."

It was the cover story for her job, which she had long told him to use, whenever asked about her occupation. He was proud to admit that he had never once slipped up and informed something of the real job of Kensi Marie Blye.

"I don't want your lies," the angry, towering man yelled in response before backhanding Marty across the face again. "I _know_ she works for NCIS, don't play me."

Doing his best impression of a child in deep thought, pouting out his lips slightly, and with a somewhat innocent air, he replied, "Maybe NCIS employs executive assistants from biometric technology companies to work with them?"

Instead of receiving another hit to the face, an over exaggerated sigh sounded followed by a deep chuckle. The deep chuckle slowly morphing into a deranged cackle, which to Marty started sounding disturbingly like one of the mentally unstable hyenas from The Lion King. A shiver went down his spine as he saw the eyes of his captor grow increasingly feral.

The feeling of dread slowly encroached him and culminated in pure fear, when he saw the man towering over him walked over to the camera he had placed earlier and turned it on.

...

Despite Sam breaking more laws than they would be able to count in his attempt to speed through the traffic at lightning speeds, the trip felt like an eternity to Kensi. After checking her weapon, then rechecking it and following that with a third check through for good measure, she was getting increasingly anxious in the back of the Challenger.

She would later be thankful that they had been on that stupid security consulting task, since it had meant that they were closer to the abandoned complex that Eric and Nell had tracked Jack's rental car to, than they would have been if they had been at the old Spanish Mission.

Sam's hazardous driving paid off, when they arrived at the run down shopping center in less than half the time it would have usually taken to drive the distance, especially considering the thick Los Angeles traffic.

Stopping the vehicle just outside the parking garage, the three trained agents jumped out of the Challenger and moved quickly into the dark concrete jungle. As soon as they rounded the corner to the underground parking cellar, they saw a single lone vehicle parked. Swiftly making their way towards it, Kensi felt as if her stomach had turned to ice. Sam and Callen quickly cleared the front of the car, whilst Kensi had her gun trained on the trunk. Getting eye contact and with a nod to Kensi, ensuring that she was ready, Sam released the lock on the trunk.

When the opening of the automatic boot lifted enough to see that nothing or no one was in the trunk of the car, Kensi released a breath she had not known she had been holding. Relief filled her body, but said relief was on in the moment and as such was quickly gone, since they now needed to clear out the entirety of the huge complex in order to find, where Jack might have taken the love of her life.

The priority team from NCIS' Office of Special Projects moved expeditiously through the parking cellar and entered the shopping center through one of the few staircases that lead to the first shopping floor. The feeling of dread flushed over the female agent again, as she was hit with the realization of the sheer size of the monumental task clearing all of the areas would be, especially dreading the amount of time it would take, or rather, how much time that would give that blasted bastard Jack to be alone with her boyfriend.

On the bright side, there was surprisingly still electricity connected to the facility, however, due to disuse of the property and lack of upkeep, most of the lights were no longer working, and those that was were either quite dim or were flickering on and off in random patterns. The lighting proved enough enable the agents to traverse the run down building without the need to use their own flashlights, which would have a greater chance at giving them away, if the culprit saw the lights.

Using the low light to their advantage, Sam, Callen, and Kensi moved in synchronized fashion to clear each abandoned shop, restrooms, and miscellaneous cupboard-like rooms lining the walls. Although the well-oiled machine made quick work of clearing the area, the sheer amount of nooks and crannies they had to check was halting their progress more than they would care to admit.

Despite that, they had, within the first almost twenty minutes, cleared the bottom floor of the shopping mall, and as such, hastily made towards the nearest set of stairs to ascend to the next level. Just as they reached the second floor, they heard a faint laughter.

Even though it was extremely distant, Kensi immediately recognized the sound as her ex-fiancé. The two senior agents were left to run in the heels of their female colleague, as she took down running towards the sound.

The laughter, which was now much more audible, sounded way more like disturbed cackling than someone actually laughing. The upside to the disturbing noise was that it directed the agents straight to a closed door, the words 'utility room' written clearly on it.


	40. Is it over?

**As stated in the last author's note, there will be a break in uploads of this story, as I will be leaving for a Summer Camp in the wonderful United States. I'll be leaving in approximately two weeks, but since they are going to be exceedingly busy, I won't be able to promise another upload before that. I will, however, promise to return to this story once I return in August. -Cape**

* * *

 **Chapter 40: Is it over?**

Kensi, or rather Agent Blye, had taken off running towards the hated sound of her ex-fiancé's laughter, each cackle further fueling her inner rage. Not sparing a single thought to proper procedure or her fellow agents, she sprinted away, leaving both Sam and Callen to attempt catch up with her.

She did not even stop to allow herself to catch her breath, nor did she wait to allow the other members of her team to catch up to her. Instead, she poured all her pent up fear and anger into a well-placed kick, smashing open the well-worn door.

The disturbing cackling coming from the room immediately turned silent, when the rushing female agent kicked in the door with power few men would only ever be able to hope to achieve.

The sight in front of her made her blood boil, causing her to almost shake with rage. She saw the light of her life tied down to a chair. She allowed herself a second to perform a glance-over assessment of him. She saw blood smeared into his messy mop and the reddening with the hint of the approaching bruises his face was clear signs of him haven taken some punches.

Redirecting her eyes to the bastard she had been so stupid to date many years ago, she saw the Marine standing behind her boyfriend. Her ex-fiancé was wielding a knife and held it tightly to Marty's throat, using enough pressure to the point where the blade had broken the skin. He looked certifiably crazed.

The sight made her anger explode in a spectacular raging crescendo.

"One more step and I'll-"

 _CRACK_

He did not get a chance to finish the sentence before the loud pop sounded. The reason behind the loud noise behind him immediately collapsing backwards. It was at that moment the two senior agents caught up to her and entered the room.

Altogether, Callen and Sam had been less than ten seconds behind the female agent.

Quickly clearing the surroundings, the two agents saw a shaken Kensi standing just in front of the doorway, an equally shaken captive, and a form lying in an increasing pool of crimson liquid.

Walking past the female agent, Callen secured the area by kicking away the knife from the downed, before quickly checking the deranged Marine for other weapons. Finding a handgun, he secured it before securing it at his small. Immediately after, he pulled out his phone and contacted the team in OPS for ambulances.

Whilst the team leader saw to securing the room, Sam cautiously walked next to his frozen friend. Slowly laying his hand on top of the shaking gun as to not rouse her, he gently lowered it until it was pointed to the ground and she released it. After securing her weapon, he gently nudged her and quietly asked, "You alright, Kensi?"

That seemed to rouse her from whatever state of shock and disbelief she was struck by. Instead of answering him, she took one giant stride forward before sinking to her knees and with tear-filled eyes asked, "Oh my god, Marty. Are you okay?"

He, too, was in a far-away state and had been ever since the weapon went off. Her voice was able to get a reaction from the otherwise shaking man, who, albeit with a shell-shocked expression and no eye contact, slowly nodded in response. The nod turned more assured, but his voice was still shaking with lingering fear and not a little shock, "I-I uhm…I think…" He finally turned to look at her, "I think I just uhm…I just n-need to get outta here, please."

Desperately in need of some fresh air herself, she quickly nodded in acceptance at the request, before breathing out a quiet "okay".

Grabbing her father's knife, Kensi made quick work of the zip-ties restraining Marty to the chair. She tenderly helped her boyfriend to his feet, and, once she was satisfied that his legs would not buckle under him, guided him out of the room without another word to Sam or Callen, leaving the clean up to her two fellow agents.

Marty and she walked silently through the dim-lighted building, neither quite ready to voice their jumbled thoughts at that moment. Despite their lack of verbal communication, Kensi still had her arm tightly wrapped around her boyfriend's shoulders, desperately needing the physical reassurance that he was there with him. He might not have been okay mentally, but at least he was walking out of there on his own two feet, she thought.

Having finally maneuvered through the old shopping mall to an exit, the pair only managed to get down the first step on the otherwise impressive staircase leading to the huge building before the shaken lawyer's knees finally gave out.

She had expected him to break down eventually, which was one of the reasons Kensi had kept a firm grip around his shoulders. Because of that, when he was no longer able to support his own weight, she was able to steadily guide him to the ground. Although she, herself, was having a hard time compartmentalizing what had just happened, she knew that she had to be strong for Marty at that moment. She, having worked in the business for as long as she had, had a much better grasp at the immediate rush of feelings, even though her ex-fiancé had been heavily involved, she was still able to keep it internalized for the most part. It would be a thing Hetty would complement her majorly for in the coming days.

Once seated her hand drifted from his shoulder to his head, where it finally nestled in his dirty, unruly hair. His erratic breathing turned increasingly shaky. Realizing his need for release, Kensi tenderly pushed his head to her chest.

It was his undoing. His erratic breath turned even more so, as he finally let the tears emerge. His cautious sobbing turned into a full cry, when his mind finally managed to catch up to the fact that he was actually safe.

The fact that her boyfriend had only ever cried once during their entire relationship really put it into perspective how traumatic the event had been for Marty. Kensi still vividly remembered their first tough conversation as a beginning couple, when he bared his soul to her, as he told her about the event that caused him to lose both his parents. Putting that to the back of her mind, she continued her task of helping him through his trauma by whispering comforting nothings to him.

That was how they were sitting, when Sam emerged from the run-down building. The noise caused Kensi to turn her head to the approaching man. Her gaze moved from her teammate to a paramedic trailing a few steps behind the big agent, obviously there to check up on Marty, she realized.

She saw the paramedic talking into a walkie-talkie and thirty seconds later an ambulance pulled up. Kensi would later be told that they had had no idea, which exit she and Marty had used and as such, the ambulance had been holding idle in the parking cellar until they had been found.

Upon the request from the EMT, Kensi led her boyfriend to the emergency vehicle, where he sat down in the back. She was reluctant to move away from her Marty, but eventually conceded the medical professional's need for working space. Although she was forced to break physical contact with her boyfriend, she never moved more than ten feet away from the man and never looked away from the shaken form of the shaggy lawyer.

What finally did break her concerned gaze, was the retired SEAL whom once again stood by her side to offer the emotional support, he knew she needed.

"He'll be alright," he soothed.

"Yeah," she sighed, although it hardly sounded like she meant it.

"You did well in there," he tried a different tactic to soothe her.

The immediate response was a disbelieving huff, before answering in a self-loathing voice, "Right. Running away from teammates, rushing in blind, and killed my ex-fiancé…sure I did _really_ well."

That caused Sam to furrow his brows, "You didn't kill him, Kensi."

She spun around to fully face the senior agent, staring at him in disbelief unable to find words, but her intense gaze demanded for him to elaborate on his statement.

Pulling up his hands to halt her incoming verbal demands, he took a few seconds to think through how he would phrase his explanation. "His status is still critical; the ambulance rushed him away to the hospital, and before you comment, Callen is with him as a guard, and Hetty is sending over two agents for, when he's out of surgery. You say you didn't do a good job, but you could have easily shot him in the head. Instead, you made the right call, shooting him in the shoulder to take care of the threat, it usually wouldn't even have been that serious, but I think the bullet ricocheted inside him.

"With the exception of rushing ahead of Callen and me you did everything right in there…I can't even begin to imagine what I'd have done if Michelle was in that situation." He finished his small speech with the relatable admission.

Kensi's mind was running a mile a minute, unsure how to make sense of anything of what had happened, much less of what her friend had just informed her of. A large part of her, the protective side, had been accepting of her killing her ex-fiancé, since he was a threat to the man, she cared about more than she ever had Jack. Another part of her had been abhorred by her ending the life of a man she had shared such a close connection with. Now _that_ part of her was majorly confused, by her being told that perhaps she _had not_ actually ended her ex-fiancé's life after all.

Her emotions was at war with one another. At first, she thought herself relieved that there was a possibility that she had not ended the life of a man she had loved. The battling emotion was the fear that the same man would somehow return and continue to be a threat to her life and, more importantly, to her boyfriend's life and well-being.

She was pulled from her confused contemplation by one of the two paramedics, whom asked her if she wanted to join Marty on the way back to the hospital.

Putting her turbulent thoughts on hold for the moment, she numbly walked to the back of the ambulance and took her seat next to the supine form of her boyfriend. About to space-out again, she felt a hand sneak into hers. Looking down at the man, whom had sought her physical comfort, she forced a watery smile forth.

"I love you so, so much, Marty," she told him, barely able to hold the tears back now.

"I love you, too, Kens." He told her, his declaration wobbly from emotion. "Always will."

She bent down, meeting his slightly chaffed lips with her soft ones. Through the tender kiss, she tried to convey all her love for him. She tried to wordlessly tell him that they _would_ be all right, that it had merely been a dark storm that had loomed overhead and now they were out of the storm.

If she had looked at the paramedic, who was seated with them, she would have seen the woman smile at the two. Her experience meant that she had a lot of experience with trauma victims, and she was convinced that the couple with her would be able to push past the experience.

After a few minutes of being idle, the ambulance pulled away from the run-down shopping center. As opposed to Jack's ambulance, no emergency lights were on as they made their way to the hospital.


End file.
